The particular method used is common in lab research but is not precise enough for embryos, said Columbia University cell biologist Dietrich Egli, who called it "essentially genome vandalism."

“Most of the general public thinks you should go to rehab if you have an opioid addiction,” says Adam Bisaga of Columbia University Irving Medical Center.

“It’s not always easy to tell the difference,” said Paul Appelbaum, the Elizabeth K. Dollard Professor of Psychiatry, Medicine, and Law at Columbia University.

Stephen Morse is an epidemiologist at Columbia University Irving Medical Center.