Science Controversies
Unraveling sex differences in vaccine response
Vaccines save lives, and the record time in which scientists developed Covid-19 vaccines is unprecedented. While debilitating side effects from ...
‘FDA stifles innovation’: Livestock farmers urge federal government to put USDA in charge of animal gene regulations
Livestock and crop groups sent a letter to USDA renewing calls for the department to advance its own animal gene editing regulations ...
Decoupling ideologically-driven positions from science on GMO key for India’s agricultural future
The lack of approval of genetically modified (GM) crops since the introduction of Bt cotton in 2002 signals a dormant ...
Switch in strategy: Why the next COVID vaccine could be a nasal spray
The virus had gained a stunning ability to infect people, jumping from one person’s nose to the next. Cases soared ...
‘Protective devices’: Why some exposed people are unlikely to get COVID
Over the course of the pandemic, my daughter has been exposed to SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes the disease COVID-19, ...
Viewpoint: How European GMO restrictions are hurting development of genetically-based therapeutics
There aren’t enough viruses. At least, there are not enough engineered ones, the viral vectors used in gene therapies such ...
Ethics moves to the forefront as demand grows for preimplantation testing of human embryos
New technologies are expanding the reach and accessibility of preimplantation genetic testing of human embryos. But what these advances can ...
COVID infections set off massive inflammation ‘storms’ in the body
From the early days of the pandemic, doctors noticed that in severe cases of Covid-19 – the ones that landed ...
Why biotechnology will be critical in preparing for the next health crisis
By acknowledging what we did right, leaning into our humanity, and utilizing the tools we have at our disposal to ...
Viewpoint: Kenya’s crop gene editing greenlight is a start — but anti-biotechnology regulations still abound
Last month the National Biosafety Authority (NBA) published guidelines for the regulation of genome editing technology, making Kenya the second ...
Why the COVID cult of ivermectin won’t die
The rise of the ivermectin cult is one of the most nonsensical storylines — in a sea of nonsensical storylines ...
Conservative legislatures block access to abortion pills often prescribed across state lines
A wave of doctors, nurse practitioners, and other health care providers are getting licensed in multiple states so they can ...
Should a COVID vaccine be offered as an annual booster shot? The FDA is considering it
At the April 6 meeting, FDA is asking its Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) to not only ...
Despite globally low number of COVID cases, some experts fear Africa’s low vaccination rates
Many countries in the developed world are rapidly lifting restrictions like mask mandates and vaccine passports. There seems to be ...
Why COVID ‘herd immunity’ never reached ‘sterilization immunity’ — and never will
Herd immunity was always our greatest asset for protecting vulnerable people, but public health failed to use it wisely. In ...
As Russian-Ukranian war roils grain prices, Egypt mulls ending ban on growing and importing GM crops
Egypt prohibits importing and planting GMO seeds, but allows imports of GM-produced soybeans and maize that have been approved from ...
Can we ‘cure’ cancer by reprogramming our cells?
Most cancer patients don’t die from their so-called primary tumor—the spot where it first develops. Once detected, surgeons cut it ...
‘COVID booster strategy is not sustainable’: FDA pushes for long-term plans
A top U.S. health regulator said that asking people to frequently get Covid-19 boosters wasn’t sustainable because of vaccine fatigue and that ...
Viewpoint: FDA appears to be steamrolling own experts in authorizing fourth COVID vaccine dose
The Food and Drug Administration last week authorized Americans 50 and over to get a fourth Covid vaccine dose. Some ...
Never had COVID? Scientists want to study you to find clues about containing future viruses
More than half of Americans may have never had Covid, according to U.S. government data, leaving scientists wondering whether those ...
Some people got deliberately sick from COVID for science. Here’s what we learned from them
It takes just a tiny virus-laden droplet – about the width of a human blood cell – to infect someone ...
99% effective birth control pill developed for male mice — but human version is a ways off
A buzzy new animal study offers another contender in the search for a male form of birth control. Researchers at the University ...
Health-promoting tobacco? Plants shown effective in developing life-saving vaccines
The health consequences of tobacco use have been well documented. According to the World Health Organization, more than 8 million people ...
Chinese scientist He Jiankui, creator of first ‘CRISPR children’, released from jail
The daring Chinese biophysicist who created the world’s first gene-edited children has been set free after three years in a ...
Large New England Journal of Medicine study reconfirms Ivermectin does not reduce COVID hospitalizations
The antiparasitic drug ivermectin did not reduce the risk of being hospitalized with COVID-19, according to a large study published ...
India decides gene edited crops and foods will not be as tightly regulated as GMOs
A key change in rules notified on [March 30] will allow genome-edited plants, or organisms without any “foreign” genes to ...
How gene editing crops can help address world hunger
One-tenth of the world’s population – 811 million people – were undernourished in 2020. That’s an increase of 161 million in just ...
