Science Controversies
Viewpoint: New Zealand’s ban on GMOs and gene editing aligns it with Europe — but is out of step with science and its citizens
Attitudes [about GMOs] within New Zealand appear to be slightly shifting towards being more liberal. Surveys conducted between 2000 – 2009 ...
‘I see no need for re-regulation’: Germany’s Environment Minister and Green Party stalwart rebukes EU’s hopes to relax crop gene editing rules, invokes precautionary principle
German Environment Minister Steffi Lemke on [June 13] rebuffed the European Commission’s plan to propose new rules for crops bred ...
Viewpoint: ‘Unfettered optimism’? A tiny cancer trial reports a ‘100% cure rate’ with immunotherapy — but are headlines overstating the promise?
When the New York Times tripped off a cascade of upbeat stories this week with its reporting on a 100% ...
How fetal facial scans can help identify serious diseases early
Nizam’s Institute of Medical Science and Center for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics research on inherited genetic disorders revealed that morphological ...
Suffer from diabetes, stroke or heart attack? Your chances of dementia rise sharply
Having multiple conditions that affect the heart is linked to a greater risk of dementia than having high genetic risk, ...
‘Increases harvests by 10%’: Amid rising food uncertainty, China increases its commitment to higher-yield biotech crops
China’s plans to permit the commercialization of genetically modified (GM) crops have this year finally taken a step forward. In ...
Viewpoint: Where do we draw the lines on human gene editing to prevent or treat disease
Pushing boundaries is essential to human achievement, but the harder the push, the greater the responsibility. At a minimum, you ...
‘Execution by organ donation’: China accused of forcibly removing organs from prisoners
The leading medical transplant journal in the world recently made the case that Chinese prisoners are being forced to give up organs at ...
African genomes hold key to global genetic medicine
More than half of the children born with sickle cell disease (SCD) in Africa never get to celebrate their fifth ...
Reviewing the science in the trans-athlete debate: Taking hormones levels playing field more for trans men than for trans women
In 2004 [the International Olympic Committee] ruled that transgender athletes are allowed to compete two years after surgical anatomical changes ...
Viewpoint: Redefining ‘medically necessary’ — Debate unfolds over how to cover ‘off label’ treatments for rare diseases
The term “medically necessary” is the yardstick by which insurance companies, including Medicare and Medicaid, decide if they will pay ...
How much do our genes drive cancer? Researchers argue for more holistic diagnostic approach
While cancer was long believed to be a genetic disease, scientists found in a new study that the disease may ...
3-D printed ears: First body part made with a person’s own cells
A 20-year-old woman who was born with a small and misshapen right ear has received a 3-D printed ear implant ...
Viewpoint: Introduction of gene edited foods heightens consumer confusion over what ‘genetic modification’ really means
It’s a fickle world, journalism. On 23 May, the Daily Mail announced plans by the UK Government to speed up production of ...
In reversal from prior surveys, Brazilians welcome introduction of drought-tolerant GMO wheat
More than 70% of consumers in Brazil would not have any restrictions related to consumption of transgenic wheat, according to ...
Pancreatic cancer cure? Reprogrammed cells tame disease that’s almost always fatal
In a novel experiment, a woman with advanced pancreatic cancer saw her tumors dramatically shrink after researchers in Oregon turbocharged ...
Havana syndrome: Victims of mysterious and debilitating cognitive illness linked to US embassies often go untreated
Despite public assurances of medical care and financial support through congressional legislation for those suffering from the mysterious health condition ...
Viewpoint: Endangering the Endangered Species Act — Bees are not fish … unless you are a California court
On [June 1], an appeals court in California earnestly held that bees are fish. Or at least for regulatory purposes under ...
Predator free? New Zealand inches towards considering ‘forbidden’ gene editing and gene drives to control possums, rats and other predators
Appetite for gene editing has always been low among the New Zealand public. In 1999, 20,000 people protested in Auckland alone, ...
Debating pros and cons of gene drives to control disease-carrying insects and other pests
British biotech company Oxitec plans to kick off a months-long experiment in which it will release billions of Aedes aegypti ...
What’s in our genes that explains why some lifelong smokers never get cancer?
Without a doubt, the safest way to protect yourself against lung cancer is to avoid smoking cigarettes, and yet, at ...
Crop gene editing deregulatory breakthrough: Just weeks after regulations for scientific field trials eased, genetically-edited Camelina sativa — a member of the brassica family — planted in Britain
Rothamsted Research has confirmed that it has sown seed of genetically edited (GE) Camelina sativa, a member of the brassica family, just ...
Should you be ‘crazy scared’ about monkeypox? Here’s why scientists say ‘no’
The monkeypox outbreak has captured the attention of an anxious public that’s struggling to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic and ...
Viewpoint: Will Europe botch its new opportunity to join crop gene editing revolution?
The European Commission’s decision to revisit the regulation of gene edited crops has the potential to thaw out a sector ...
Why does chronic fatigue appear to be on the rise — and what causes it?
Patients with chronic fatigue experience crippling exhaustion that is not resolved by sleep and rest. A Norwegian study from 2021 showed that ...
Do you have a ‘conservative face’? AI scientists dabble in pseudoscientific perils of physiognomy
Troublingly, some modern AI applications are delving into physiognomy, a set of pseudoscientific ideas that first appeared thousands of years ...
Crop gene editing reforms are not enough: Here’s why British scientists wants to overhaul outdated GMO regulations along with CRISPR embrace
On 24 July 2019, Boris Johnson stood outside 10 Downing Street and delivered his first speech as prime minister. Among ...
