Science Controversies
Why I changed my mind about GMOs
Lecture to Oxford Farming Conference, 3 January 2013 I want to start with some apologies. For the record, here and ...
Genetic testing of Newtown shooter will provide few answers
It’s difficult to contemplate what could drive a young man to kill 20 schoolchildren, six teachers, his own mother, and ...
President’s Science Commitment, FDA Face Scrutiny in Wake of GMO Salmon Fiasco
The Genetic Literacy Project’s investigation of White House interference in the approval process for genetically modified salmon continues to boil ...
New class of GM mosquito rattles anti-GMO campaigns
The Food and Drug Administration will soon decide whether or not to allow the release of genetically modified mosquitoes to ...
Genetic pre-natal test opens window to improved diagnoses, stirs concerns
New fetal screening tests using gene chips instead of conventional chromosomal evaluation to identify congenital diseases may ignite a turf ...
Embryos for sale
For those who have struggled with the emotional, physical, and monetary stresses of trying unsuccessfully to start a family by ...
Disease tracking direct-to-consumer genome sequencing breaks $1000 barrier ($695)
Whole genome sequencing, (also known as full genome sequencing, complete genome sequencing, or entire genome sequencing), is a laboratory process ...
Gattaca alert: Personal genomics meets neo-eugenics
Eugenics is back into the headlines, thanks to rapid advances in personal genomics. Naturally, not everyone is inclined to greet ...
New eugenics and the question of personal choice
Eugenics is back in the headlines. Our ability to examine and manipulate our genes is more advanced than ever. But ...
How did “biotechnology” become a dirty word?
How did the word biotechnology become so dangerous? Mention it in a group and people look at you with suspicion ...
Center for Genetics and Society launches campaign against mitochondrial gene therapy
The Center for Genetics and Society, known categorical rejection of the most innovative forms of gene therapy, has launched a ...
Ten lessons from Monsanto’s swift-boating of Prop 37
The populist campaign to label genetically modified food has been successfully Swift-Boating by Monsanto and the largest pesticide and junk ...
European Society of Human Genetics reprimands Myriad on patent secrets
The European Society of Human Genetics policy committee has chastised Myriad Genetics for refusing to share its patented genetic database ...
Is gene therapy finally emerging from the shadows?
The prospect of using gene therapy to treat diseases—particularly inherited diseases, such as sickle cell anemia and cystic fibrosis that ...
Danish ethics panel cautious about whole genome testing
As genetic tests become increasingly cheaper, the temptation to take one, principally to find out what illnesses we may be ...
Genetic Profiteering: Scandal of firm ‘hiding vital breast cancer data’
The company that makes the world's biggest-selling gene test for breast and ovarian cancers is refusing to share groundbreaking knowledge ...
Human Apps: Israeli start-up wants to bring creation of life to the people
Technology is a democratizing force, but a digital start-up here in Israel is taking democracy to a new limit; in ...
Political correctness alert: Science literacy collapses when male/female genetics are debated
The difficulty in discussing what everyone intuitively knows—males and females are genetically programmed to respond differently, emotionally and intellectually, to ...
Frozen egg banks – A “paradigm shift” for the fertility industry?
Advertising for frozen egg banks has recently kicked into high gear. The spread of large frozen egg banks also see ...
Human brains: Could we transfer the mind to other devices?
There is no reason why the complex information processing at the core of human experience -- consciousness, the mind -- ...
Stem cells show promise for treating infertility in cancer patients
A promising stem-cell-based approach for treating infertility has been successfully demonstrated in non-human primates, as reported in a study published ...
Center for Genetics and Society escalates attack on life-saving gene therapy
CGS, a "progressive" but uber conservative-minded advocacy group that opposes many medical technology innovations is continuing its campaign against gene ...
Genetic studies may predict criminal tendencies
A law professor believes genetic profiling should be used to identify children who are predisposed to violent criminal behaviors. Law ...
Evolution follows a predictable genetic pattern, Princeton researchers find
Evolution, often perceived as a series of random changes, might in fact be driven by a simple and repeated genetic ...
Are placebo responses genetic?
A study recently published in PLOS one (Catechol-O-Methyltransferase val158met Polymorphism Predicts Placebo Effect in Irritable Bowel Syndrome) purports to have ...
Children and DNA
DNA provides the operating instructions for our cells that influence everything from a person’s hair color to susceptibility to disease ...
Study reveals genetic causes of a male infertility disorder
Severe spermatogenic failure (SSF) is a genetic condition that causes low sperm count and infertility. New insights into the genetic ...
