Transhumanism
Genetically engineering humans for enlightenment?
Transhumanist David Pearce thinks the best way to create a better world is through genetic engineering to halt human and ...
Brain implants may help monitor neurological problems, address depression and Parkinson’s
Helen Shen at Nature chronicles a new class of deep brain implant that not only helps treat Parkinson's but may, ...
Two scientists’ quests for immortality is the subject of new documentary
A pair of advocates—they do legitimate research too, but their ardor is so intense, it’s hard to call them scientists—believe ...
Transhumanism in the crosshairs: The dark side of radical longevity
Will the radical longevity promised by futurists like J. Craig Venter allow us to create hell on earth, intentionally or ...
3-Parent IVF stirs up all the old “designer baby” panic
Why is deciding abort a baby a legitimate ethical choice but choosing to have a boy is not? Some groups ...
Three-person IVF has nothing to do with eugenics, but let’s talk about it anyhow
Parents in the UK look set to become the first in the world to use a radical IVF technique that ...
Litany of unknowns surface at FDA germline modification meeting
An FDA committee held a historic public meeting last week to discuss the scientific, technologic, and clinical issues related to ...
Genetic entrepreneur J. Craig Venter to tackle the problem of human aging
Craig Venter sequenced the first human genome. He made the first synthetic cell. And now, for his next trick, he's ...
Artisanal salami…made with the meat of cloned celebrities?
"BiteLabs grows meat from celebrity tissue samples and uses it to make artisanal salami." So proclaims the copy on BiteLabs.org, ...
Artificial muscles from yarn and fishing line
From humble parts – fishing line or nylon thread – researchers have produced artificial muscles that can lift 100 times ...
FDA asked to approve “three-parent” IVF
We don't know enough about embryonic development to know that IVF with mitochondrial DNA donors is a good idea ...
Are genetically-enhanced Olympians coming, or already here?
Athletes may someday use today's gene therapy techniques to illicitly blow past the competition through gene doping. In fact, maybe ...
Company to offer workouts tailored to your genetics
Over the years, I’ve taken a quasi-scientific approach to fitness, trying a variety of exercise and nutrition regimens and analyzing ...
Hey biotech pioneers, life is more than a DNA sequence
Biotech pioneers like Craig Venter might not understand the differences between digital computer code and genomics and the dangers that ...
Science inches toward science-fiction-style genetic augmentation
In 1953, molecular biologists James Watson and Francis Crick released what would be one of the most groundbreaking scientific discoveries ...
Rewriting the genome with surgical precision
New, precise methods for genome engineering, like CRISPR and TALENs are poised to change the face of genetic disease ...
Gene for a thick cerebral cortex linked to high intelligence
A gene which may make people more intelligent has been discovered by scientists. Researchers have found that teenagers who had ...
Self-directed evolution: Conversation with Craig Venter
J. Craig Venter is best known for sequencing the human genome. He recently spoke with The WorldPost: WORLDPOST: With what ...
Latest on rewriting genomes, humans’ included
A genetic modification system, CRISPR/Cas, has shown breakthrough success in primates and is poised to make the futurists' dreams of ...
New York Times recycles old news on ethics of genetic screening
The NYT carried a front-page story about genetic screening techniques that have been around for two decades, raising familiar ethical ...
Uzbekistan’s plan to genetically groom Olympic athletes won’t work
In a few years, we'll look back at the Sochi Olympics as the last one where being chosen as an ...
Learning to fix a body’s broken genes
It sounds like science fiction, and for years it seemed as though it was just that: fiction. But the idea ...
Searching for invulnerability to cancer
In June 2013, I described how sequencing the highly abnormal genomes of cancer cells can identify some of the mutations ...
Spell-checking the genome to remove burden of bad genetic mutations
Eliminating mutational load might offer a shortcut to the Singularity. A person’s mutational load is the total burden of his ...
This may be the kickoff year for genetically-altered humans
By the middle of 2014, the possibility of altering DNA to produce a genetically-modified human could move from science fiction ...
Building a better baby
In 2014, BGI, a Chinese company, is hoping that it will soon be able to offer parents a similar option—choosing ...
First hint that lifestyle changes may reverse cellular aging
A study with a tiny sample size shows that exercise, diet, and meditation can actually increase telomere length in prostate ...