An amazing world January 13, 2021 The socio-economic development of nations today hinges on the ability of their leaders to formulate suitable policies and transfer precious resources from various sectors to education, science, technology and innovation so that a strong knowledge economy can materialise. This is because natural resources have diminishing importance as ideas are transformed into novel products and processes. About a decade ago, a team of 20 scientists led by Craig Venter in the US created the world's first synthetic life form in a landmark experiment. This opened the door for organisms that can be built in the laboratory rather than through evolution. Very soon afterwards, Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer Doudna discovered one of the sharpest tools in gene technologies. These molecular scissors, named CRISPR/Cas9, led to the two scientists being awarded the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. This exciting discovery allows researchers to alter the DNA of animals, plants and microorganisms with very high precision.