ethics
Is society ready for the changes CRISPR can bring?
Crispr works in almost every animal that scientists have tried, from silkworms to monkeys, and in just about every cell ...
Why setting testosterone levels for female athletes risks setting ‘far reaching’ ‘unscientific precedent’
New rules to reduce naturally high testosterone levels in female athletes have been branded "unscientific". [In 2018], athletics chiefs ruled ...
DNA of the dead: Genetic testing companies offering to use envelopes licked by the deceased
In the past year, genealogists have been abuzz about the possibility of getting DNA out of old stamps and envelopes ...
Is it OK to take sperm from the dead?
[A] New York judge earlier this month ordered a medical center to save the sperm of Peter Zhu, a 21-year-old cadet ...
Lab-grown, plant-based meats raise thorny ethical questions about animal welfare, sustainability
Meatless Monday. “Vegetable-forward” restaurants. Plant-based diets. Foregoing meat is more mainstream than ever before, and at the center of this ...
Viewpoint: Elective, unproven IV therapies create ‘perfect storm of risks’
We don’t have to look very far these days to find wellness facilities touting this or that intravenous (IV) infusion for “detoxification” and ...
Why it might be possible for children to inherit their parents’ morals
A new baby is often welcomed with speculation about whether they got their eyes and nose from mom or dad, ...
Using personality types to predict cancer? Why was this 30-year-old case of ‘probable scientific fraud’ never investigated?
The Journal of Health Psychology has just published an extraordinary pair of papers that call for a new inquiry into a 30-year ...
‘Creative misbehavior’: When ingenuity takes a dark turn
Misbehavior is a form of creative thinking ...
Challenging Nature’s decision to run a stem cell advertisement portrayed as research
Readers of Nature, one of the world’s most important scientific journals, might have been struck recently by an audacious claim ...
Gene drives: Why the best option for fighting mosquito-borne diseases is the ‘mosquito itself’
Gene drives are now a viable method of fighting mosquito-borne disease ...
Stanford investigating whether faculty has ties to controversial Chinese CRISPR baby experiment
Officials at Stanford University have opened an investigation into what several high-profile faculty members knew about a Chinese effort to ...
Fears that China has used prisoners’ organs for transplants prompts call for retraction of more than 400 scientific papers
A world-first study has called for the mass retraction of more than 400 scientific papers on organ transplantation, amid fears ...
Viewpoint: Human gene-editing ethics should not ‘be left to scientists alone’
There is one important takeaway from the controversy [about He Jiankui’s gene-edited babies] that seems to have gone overlooked in ...
China’s latest ‘ethical mess’: Cloning diseased gene-edited monkeys
Chinese researchers have cloned five gene-edited monkeys with a host of genetic disease symptoms, according to two scientific papers published ...
After dodging a ban, what’s in store for gene drives in 2019?
With gene drive techniques, we could—perhaps rapidly and inexpensively—wipe out malaria’s hosts for good, and consign it to the list ...
‘Human gene-editing scandal’: Should rogue scientist’s work be published?
How do you handle the data of a scientist who violates all the norms of his field? … On the one hand, you ...
Why can’t we stop rogue scientists from engaging in dubious research?
[C]an the public control science that leaves us with permanent and unenviable consequences? Recent news suggests that the answer is ...
What the CRISPR babies can teach us about the failings of ethical oversight
This isn't just about process, about ethical boxes left unchecked ...
Self-driving cars and life or death decisions: Who gets to define morality for these machines?
You’re driving along the highway when, suddenly, a person darts out across the busy road. There’s speeding traffic all around ...
Why things aren’t looking good for cryogenically frozen people
Corpse-freezing hasn’t exactly gone mainstream, but most people are now familiar with the concept: you lay out a ton of ...
Why we should worry about the rapid spread of ketamine clinics
As ketamine clinics pop up across the U.S. to offer experimental infusions for depression, anxiety, and a slew of other conditions, training ...
How DNA health screening of pets can lead to tragic consequences
A lack of regulatory scrutiny has left pet owners and their companions vulnerable to misleading marketing and immature science ...
Viewpoint: New book ‘Blueprint’ revisits the dangerous theory of genetic determinism
It’s never a good time for another bout of genetic determinism, but it’s hard to imagine a worse one than ...
Viewpoint: Everyone needs to feel the benefits of an ‘AI-reliant society’
[A]rtificial intelligence technology could actually boost the global economy. If it’s allowed to play a major role, AI will make our ...
Why the promise of personalized medicine could fall short for minorities
African-Americans are underrepresented in large-scale genetic and neuroscience studies ...
Viewpoint: Consumer DNA tests promise more than they can deliver
Over the past few years, many [DNA testing companies] have branched out into the realm of precision health, treading into ...