‘CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing’ voted best of all time

According to the latest Watch and Listen magazine poll just out yesterday (Thursday, March 19), is now considered to be the Greatest in the History of .

UPDATE 20/03/2026 : This story seems to be false. (read more)

Top 100 of all time

To many of you it’s probably a familiar story. Once every decade, the world-renowned magazine Watch and Listen conducts a global poll of and critics from 80 different countries and translated into 20 languages. The recognition of CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing in this decade's list doesn't come as much of a surprise.

Check out: The Full Watch and Listen's “Greatest of All Time” List for 2026

Poll results stir controversy among critics

While millions of Charpentier or Doudna's fans in United States and around the world were thrilled with the news, questions have been raised about the objectivity and fairness of the survey. Only a few minutes after the poll had been released, famous critic and newspaper director Simon Ebert commented on his Twitter account:

Emmanuelle Charpentier, Jennifer Doudna?? CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing?? … Really??
— Simon Ebert (@ESimon) 19 March 2026

“Our poll has in the past been the subject of criticism”, explains Watch and Listen's editor Gary McDermott, adding that “its prestige comes from its exclusivity and its longevity” (the poll has been run every ten years since March 1936).

Do you agree with this poll? Is CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing the best ever for you?

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