Science Controversies
‘Precision microbiome analysis’ diets — based on almost no rigorous research — see surge in popularity
A crop of “precision nutrition” startups are racing to develop and engineer individualized diet programs, based on growing evidence that ...
China rejects WHO recommendation to revisit investigation of COVID origins and Wuhan lab leak theory
The Chinese Communist Party rejected a follow-up World Health Organization investigation into COVID-19’s origins, with government scientists condemning the plans ...
Struggling with one of the lowest vaccination rates in the US, Mississippi health officials move to block social media misinformation
The Mississippi State Department of Health is now blocking comments on its Facebook posts that relate to COVID-19 because of ...
Viewpoint: Political left, right and sprinkling of bioethicists express concern about modifying rules on embryo research
On May 26, the International Society of Stem Cell Research (ISSCR), a non-governmental organization of scientists, released newly revised guidelines ...
Rich country vs. poor country: Global vaccination gap grows — extending the pandemic for us all
For much of the world, particularly for those living in low- and middle-income countries, COVID-19 vaccines remain out of reach ...
Come January, expect consumer confusion as US mandated bioengineered stamp competes with Non GMO Project label
Under the National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard act, it will become mandatory for food and beverage companies starting Jan. 1 ...
Viewpoint: Misleading rhetoric fuels belief that our genetic code is a deterministic ‘instruction book’ – but it’s far more interesting than that
[G]enes aren’t quite what we thought (in fact, there’s no consensus about what they even are). Yet plenty remain happy ...
Vaccine hesitancy’s roots in deeply religious and technophobic Amish community
The vaccination drive is lagging far behind in many Amish communities across the U.S. following a wave of virus outbreaks ...
Federal court rules Indiana University allowed to impose mandatory vaccination requirement, for now
Indiana University is one of hundreds of colleges mandating COVID-19 vaccinations this year. According to university policy, students and staff ...
President Biden’s antitrust initiative could shake up the agriculture industry. Here’s how
President Joe Biden released a sweeping executive order on “Promoting Competition in the American Economy,” aimed at taking on massive ...
How women are recruited into the international human egg trade business
Young women are recruited into the global egg trade through shrewd emotional marketing techniques and a skillful manipulation of their ...
USDA proposes that gene modifications that mimic conventional breeding should not be regulated
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is soliciting feedback on a proposal to ...
Stirring disinformation: Once relegated to political fringes, vaccine bashing takes center stage with Fox News hosts Tucker Carlson and Laura Ingraham
Rupert Murdoch received a dose of a Covid-19 vaccine. Afterward, he urged everyone else to get it, too. Since then, ...
Are COVID vaccines effective and safe for children? An expert weighs in
The Food and Drug Administration expanded emergency use authorization of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to include adolescents 12 to 15 years ...
Vaccine rejectionism takes hold as a Republican litmus test
What began as “vaccine hesitancy” has morphed into outright vaccine hostility, as conservatives increasingly attack the White House’s coronavirus message, ...
Setting ethical limits on human gene editing after fall of 14-day barrier
Quick, accurate and easy-to-use, CRISPR-Cas9 has made genomic editing more efficient—but at the same time has made human germline editing ...
Animal GMO and gene-editing regulations are outdated, hindering innovation. Here’s what experts say needs to change
In order for gene editing in agricultural animals to “unleash enormous gains in productivity,” a remodeling of the federal landscape ...
As UK veers from EU anti-biotech regulations and opens doors to gene editing, landmark study on broccoli and other brassicas highlights innovation
Field trials investigating healthy compounds in agronomically important brassica crops have underlined the "immense potential" of gene editing technology, say ...
Genome sequencing every British baby at birth? UK public shows cautious support for early screening program
While some genetic testing is available before birth, it is currently only offered in newborns in certain cases… But proponents ...
After the failed Capitol riot, far right militias regroup around anti-vaccine conspiracy theories
In the wake of the January 6 Capitol riot, so-called militia groups such as the Three Percenters and Oath Keepers ...
Eugenics reparations: California poised to pay up to $25,000 to people who were deemed ‘unfit to have children’ and sterilized
California is poised to approve reparations of up to $25,000 to some of the thousands of people — some as ...
Social media is abuzz with claims that mRNA vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna change your genetic code. Here are the facts
Both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are mRNA vaccines, which contain tiny fragments of the genetic material known as “messenger ...
$1500 a month? Breakthrough obesity injection Wegovy (semaglutide) approved by the FDA — but high costs and limited insurance coverage likely to limit adoption
When a promising new drug to treat obesity was approved by the Food and Drug Administration for sale in the ...
Glow-in-the-dark potatoes? In quest to develop healthier spuds, Israeli scientists genetically engineer plants that signal when stressed
Plant stress can be caused by drought, extreme temperature and high levels of light. (Not that dissimilar to humans who ...
Under pressure from Republicans, Tennessee fires top vaccine official and suspends vaccine outreach to minors — and not just for COVID shots
The Tennessee Department of Health will halt all adolescent vaccine outreach – not just for coronavirus, but all diseases – ...
WHO restates opposition to gene-editing live human embryos but endorses other forms of genome modification
[July 12,] a World Health Organization advisory committee called on the world’s largest public health authority to stand by the ...
COVID lockdowns have prompted more women to freeze their eggs, but success rates remain vanishingly low
According to UK fertility regulator the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), the number of women freezing their eggs or ...
