Thanks to CRISPR, gene therapy and “designer babies” are now a reality. The gene editing Swiss army knife is one of the most impactful biomedical discoveries of the last decade. Now a new study suggests we’ve just begun dipping our toes into the CRISPR pond.

CRISPR-Cas9 comes from lowly origins. It was first discovered as a natural mechanism in bacteria and yeast cells to help fight off invading viruses. This led Dr. Feng Zhang, one of the pioneers of the technology, to ask: where did this system evolve from? Are there any other branches of the CRISPR family tree that we can also harness for gene editing?

In a new paper published last week in Science, Zhang’s team traced the origins of CRISPR to unveil a vast universe of potential gene editing tools. As “cousins” of CRISPR, these new proteins can readily snip targeted genes inside Petri dishes, similar to their famous relative.

But unlike previous CRISPR variants, these are an entirely new family line. Collectively dubbed OMEGA, they operate similarly to CRISPR. However, they use completely foreign “scissor” proteins, along with alien RNA guides previously unfamiliar to scientists.

What came as a total surprise was the abundance of these alternative systems. A big data search found over a million potential genetic sites that encode just one of these cousins, far more widespread “than previously suspected.” These newly-discovered classes of proteins have “strong potential for developing as biotechnologies,” the authors said.

In other words, the next gene editing wunderkind could be silently waiting inside another bacteria or algae, ready to be re-engineered to snip, edit, and alter our own genomes for the next genetic revolution.

The Many Variations of CRISPR

The first CRISPR system that came to fame was CRISPR-Cas9. The idea is simple but brilliant. Using a genetic vector—a round Trojan horse of sorts that delivers genes into cells—scientists can encode the two components for gene editing. One is a guide RNA, which directs the system to the target gene. The other is Cas9, the “scissors” that break the gene. Once a gene is snipped, it wants to heal. During this process it’s possible to insert new genetic code, delete old code, or shift the code in a way that inactivates subsequent genes.

Thanks to its relative simplicity, CRISPR didn’t just take off—it skyrocketed. Subsequent studies found variants optimized for slightly different tasks. For example, there are Cas9 varieties that have very low off-target activity or are smaller, making them easier to package and deliver into cells. Others include base editors, which swap a DNA letter without breaking the chain, or RNA editors, which edit RNA chains like a Word processor.

The burgeoning CRISPR pantheon was in part because of different Cas “scissor” proteins. Although thousands of variations exist, wrote Dr. Lucas Harrington at the University of California, Berkeley, who worked with CRISPR pioneer Dr. Jennifer Doudna, “gene editing experiments have largely focused on a small subset of representatives.” Scanning for new variants in nature, the team identified powerful new Cas proteins that retain their activity in high heat, and extremely compact ones that can sneak into nooks and crannies of the genome that otherwise block classic Cas proteins. The power of Cas variants persuaded scientists to artificially evolve new proteins with more optimized features.

But what if the secret to better gene editing tools isn’t just looking forward? What if it’s to peek back in time?

CRISPR Ancestors

The new study took this approach: scan through evolutionary history to trace the origins of CRISPR-Cas9.

Like tracing any family tree, it starts with knowing thyself. Cas9 belongs to a family called “RNA-guided nucleases.” Basically, these proteins can be shepherded by RNA guides, and they have the ability to cut genetic material.

Back in 2015, a study suggested one evolutionary root of Cas9. It’s weird: a bunch of “jumping genes,” or genetic com...