The Wall Street Journal - 28.03.2020 - 29.03.2020

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Thecrisis

willfocus

the

attention

ofanew

generation

of

scientific

pioneers.

The Biotech

Century Ahead

by circuits with on-

off switches. In the

1950s, this led to the

development of the

microchip, the com-

puter and the inter-

net. When these

three innovations

were combined, it

led to the digital

revolution.

Nowwehaveen-

tered a third and even more

momentous scientific era, a

life-science revolution driven

by biotech. It rests on the dis-

covery of the gene and the

molecules (DNA and RNA) that

contain and implement its in-

formation. By the beginning of

this century, we had the power

to sequence and map our genes

and those of every organism.

One particularly consequen-

tial invention in this new revo-

lution is CRISPR, a tool that

will allow us to edit genes.

Like most inventions, it was

born out of curiosity-driven

basic science, in this case in-

volving the longest-running

and most vicious war on this

planet. For three billion years,

bacteria have struggled to

being developed that will detect

the virus and, eventually, ward

it off. But in a larger way, the

coronavirus will focus the at-

tention of a new generation of

scientists and innovators. Just

as the digital revolution drove

innovation in the last half of

the 20th century, the biotech

revolution will drive the first

half of the 21st century. Chil-

dren who study digital coding

will be surpassed by those who

study the code of life.

The revolution will have at

least three major components.

First is an effort to fight vi-

ruses at the molecular level us-

ing RNA-guided genetic target-

ing devices (just like bacteria

do). Our recurring viral

plagues—MERS, SARS, Ebola,

HIV/AIDS and of

course each new

strain of the flu—

show how pitifully

poor we have been

at this. Second is

discovering the un-

derlying mechanisms

of cancer and find-

ing ways to person-

alize treatments for

it. And third is edit-

ing our own genes.

Gene-editing technology

could make us immune to vi-

ruses and cancer. It can correct

mutations that cause a wide ar-

ray of disabilities, from sickle-

cell anemia to congenital blind-

ness. And it could let us

genetically enhance our bodies

and minds and those of our

children. That will be the hard

part. We’ll need not only scien-

tists and innovators but also

philosophers, humanists and

well-informed citizens to figure

out whether that’s a wise use

of this astonishing technology.

Mr. Isaacson is the author of

biographies of Benjamin Frank-

lin, Albert Einstein, Leonardo

da Vinci and Steve Jobs. EVAN OTO/SCIENCE SOURCE

A conceptual

illustration of

genome editing

using CRISPR.

fight off attacks by viruses,

which are snippets of genetic

material that reproduce by

taking over the cells of living

organisms. CRISPR systems

are a wondrous method that

bacteria came up with to re-

member, recognize and destroy

the genetic material of enemy

viruses.

Which leads us to our own

fight against the new coronavi-

rus. CRISPR tools are already

Editing our

genes could

make us

immune to

viruses.

The global challenges ahead demand a return to

character, vision and discipline in applying U.S. power.

A Moment to

Renew American

Statesmanship

REVIEW | AFTER THE PANDEMIC

THE CORONAVIRUS PLAGUE

will hasten our transition to

the third great innovation revo-

lution of modern times. These

revolutions arose from the dis-

covery, beginning just over a

century ago, of the three funda-

mental kernels of our existence:

the atom, the bit and the gene.

The first half of the 20th

century, beginning with Albert

Einstein’s 1905 papers on rela-

tivity and quantum theory, fea-

tured a revolution driven by

physics. Advances in basic sci-

ence became, as always, the

seed corn from which sprang

useful inventions. In the five

decades following Einstein’s

miracle year, his theories and

those of his fellow physicists

led to atomic bombs and nu-

clear power, semiconductors

and transistors, spaceships and

GPS, lasers and radar.

The second half of the 20th

century was an information-

technology era, based on the

idea that all information could

be encoded by binary digits—

known as bits—and all logical

processes could be performed

BYWALTERISAACSON

IN THE SPRING OF 1919,as the world’s

major powers descended on Versailles to

negotiate peace after World War I, Presi-

dent Woodrow Wilson was in bed with the

flu. At a moment when, as Wilson’s doctor

put it, “the whole of civilization

seemed to be in the balance,” a

horrific influenza pandemic cast

a shadow over the prospect of a

new order.

A century later, we find our-

selves again crippled by a pan-

demic during another of those

rare plastic moments in world af-

fairs—a perfect storm of major

shifts in the balance of power and massive

political, economic, technological and envi-

ronmental transformations. Great-power

rivalry is back; China has risen, and Amer-

ica’s old dominance has been spent. The

world’s economic and military center of

gravity is shifting from West to East. A

technological revolution is upending how

we live, work and fight. Tensions are grow-

ing between open and closed societies,

with nationalism and au-

thoritarianism resurgent

and democracy seemingly

in reverse. The tailwinds of

globalization have trans-

formed into powerful head-

winds, even as climate

change looms as an exis-

tential threat.

The storm has been

gathering for some time,

and America’s post-Cold

War missteps quickened the landfall. To-

day’s coronavirus pandemic will further in-

tensify the storm’s severity, with terrible

human and economic costs. It will be a

painful accelerant—exposing our vulnera-

bilities and magnifying the challenge of

navigating a crowded, complicated and

competitive international landscape.

The crisis will reinforce cocky convic-

tions—from Moscow to Beijing—about the

demise of a “liberal international order.” It

will spur strongmen to grip even tighter,

bolstered by new surveillance technologies.

Narrow-minded nationalists will fan the

flames of xenophobia. Key Western democ-

racies, already infected by paralytic politics

and constipated governance, will see their

crisis of self-confidence deepen.

Connectivity will be seen as a weakness,

not a strength, dealing another blow to the

fragile European project. The

Middle East and Africa, already

burdened by conflicts and pathol-

ogies, will be exposed to even

more troubles. The U.N. and

other international institutions,

long groaning and creaking, will

start to crack, as will the alli-

ances that have bolstered Ameri-

can security. Global humanitarian

crises will worsen, their toll compounded

by the virus and an increasingly under-re-

sourced and distracted global response.

But shocks like this awful pandemic can

clarify as well as accelerate. With brutal

impact, they give us a chance to diagnose

our challenges with clear eyes. The test for

American statesmanship will be to resist

the temptation to pull up the drawbridges

and retreat, as well as the illusion that we

can restore the easy domi-

nance we once enjoyed.

We cannot resurrect the

uniquely commanding posi-

tions that helped American

statesmen in the adminis-

trations led by Harry Tru-

man and George H.W. Bush

shape similar plastic mo-

ments over the past cen-

tury. But we can revive

their model of character,

vision and discipline in applying American

power. We can rebuild America’s demo-

cratic example and rekindle the confidence

of our allies and the respect of our rivals.

Even in this most difficult of moments, we

have a rare opening to recover a sense of

national purpose and enlightened self-in-

terest and to help Americans—and the

world—find shelter from the storm.

Mr. Burns is the president of the Carnegie

Endowment for International Peace and a

former deputy secretary of state.

The U.S.

must

resist the

temptation to

pull up the

drawbridges.

Above,

Churchill,

Truman

and Stalin

at the

Potsdam

Conference,

July 1945.

BYWILLIAMJ.BURNS

TODAY, THERE ARE MOREthan a billion

students world-wide whose schools have

closed to try to slow the spread of the

coronavirus. Many school closures are

likely to last through the

end of this school year,

and more may be needed

in the fall if the virus’s

spread picks up then.

These shutdowns have

created a range of dire

short-term problems, in-

cluding inconsistent ac-

cess to home internet and

the disruption of essen-

tial meal programs and

child care for working

parents. In the long term, they may bring

about profound changes in how we school

our children.

In the coming year, students and

teachers may need to break down barriers

between in-person and at-home school-

ing, and be ready to shift from one to the

other with little notice. It may be a

deeply challenging period for families and

educators. A constant uncertainty about

when school will be in session could force

a re-evaluation of the traditional methods

we use to pace students and track prog-

ress. “Seat time,” a term to measure the

duration of class-

room instruction,

won’t seem suffi-

cient when seats

may be in different

places and times.

The idea of individ-

ual pacing and mas-

tery of subjects may become mainstream,

because they’ll be a necessity.

Teachers have always known that kids

learn at different speeds and that debili-

tating gaps can form when students are

pushed forward at one fixed pace. But

historically, it has been a struggle to per-

sonalize learning for each student. Over

the past decade, online tools have started

to be leveraged in classrooms to address

this need. They’ve allowed students to

work on what they are ready for and to

have as many chances as needed to mas-

ter concepts. Decades of research on such

“mastery learning” shows that it works.

If it becomes mainstream inside and out-

side classrooms because of school clo-

sures, it has a chance to accelerate stu-

dent learning.

But children can’t learn online if they

can’t get online. The disruption of the

school year will be particularly difficult for

students who are underserved. They need

the schoolhouse to provide what they oth-

erwise lack, from access to technology to

food and in some cases shelter.

Online access has gone

from nice-to-have to must-

have in a time of social dis-

tancing. This is not just for

giving families access to on-

line learning but also for

their mental health so that

they can stay connected to

friends and family. Without

universal access, the gap be-

tween rich and poor stu-

dents will become even

more exaggerated, a devel-

opment that we must not allow. Govern-

ment and private industry must step up to

help school districts equip every student

for distance learning as soon as possible.

The school closure situation is tough

on many levels and clearly disruptive for

students and teachers in the near term.

But it may be the catalyst for making per-

sonalized learning more common, even

after students graduate from school or

during summers. The transition won’t be

easy, but the development of student

agency to learn and gain mastery at their

own pace—even when schools are

closed—may be the most important skill

of all in the decades to come.

Mr. Khan is the founder and CEO of

Khan Academy, a nonprofit organiza-

tion providing free online educational

resources for students, parents and

teachers.

Schools need

to break

down barriers

between

in-person

and at-home

schooling.

With school

closed, a

grandmother

helps navigate

a fourth-

grader’s online

learning.

Ifremoteinstruction

becomesmainstream

becauseofschoolclosures,

ithasachancetoaccelerate

studentlearning.

BYSALKHAN

Online

Education

ThatFits

EachChild

LINDSEY WASSON/REUTERS EVERETT COLLECTION