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Pete Shanks's Blog Posts


Pete Shanks, MA, attended Oxford University, where he studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics, and moved to California in the mid-1970s. He has been active in a range of local and international political movements, while mostly making his living in the publishing industry, especially on the production side; he enjoys the craft of bookmaking. Appalled by the eugenic possibilities of biotechnology, he has worked with the Center for Genetics and Society since its earliest days. He is the author of Human Genetic Engineering: A Guide for Activists, Skeptics, and the Very Perplexed (Nation Books) and a regular contributor to Biopolitical Times.

Predicting the IQ of Future Peopleby Pete ShanksBiopolitical TimesMay 15th, 2013The resignation of Jason Richwine from the Heritage Foundation raised the profile of racist views about IQ. Expect new publicity soon for genetic claims about intelligence.
Direct Action? Seats at the Table? All of the Above?by Pete ShanksBiopolitical TimesMay 2nd, 2013Last week, some 15 French activists in chimpanzee masks disrupted a Forum on Synthetic Biology in Paris, raising questions about the appropriateness of that kind of activism.
Supreme Court Hears Gene Patent Case; Activists Rally on Courthouse Stepsby Pete ShanksBiopolitical TimesApril 18th, 2013The justices heard arguments in the Myriad gene patent case, and seemed critical of the patents but perhaps unwilling to make a broad ruling.
Synthetic Biology as Public Relationsby Pete ShanksBiopolitical TimesApril 17th, 2013Recent synthetic biology projects related to malaria, flu and conservation are providing PR cover for the field and its corporate sponsors.
Should We Be Trying to Bring Extinct Species Back to Life?by Pete ShanksAlternetApril 8th, 2013Here's a look at greenwashing, guilt-tripping and the politics of "de-extinction."
Who Decides What Patients Need to Know?by Pete ShanksBiopolitical TimesApril 2nd, 2013The American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics report on "incidental findings" in genetic tests has kicked up a storm of controversy, not least because it seems to contradict February's ACMG recommendations about testing children.
Cloning, De-extinction, and Possibly Human Applicationsby Pete ShanksBiopolitical TimesMarch 29th, 2013Synthetic biologist and entrepreneur George Church and cloning expert Robert Lanza are starting a company to change animal reproduction — and maybe human, too, but they wouldn't say that even if it were true.
Broad Public Support for "3-Parent Babies" and Crossing the Human Germline? Not What the Data Sayby Jessica Cussins & Pete ShanksBiopolitical TimesMarch 21st, 2013The UK regulatory agency’s summary of its public consultation on mitochondria replacement highlights "broad public support" for a procedure that would cross a crucial ethical and policy line. But that support is not actually demonstrated in its data.
Whole Foods to Require Labeling of GMOs, Eventuallyby Pete ShanksBiopolitical TimesMarch 12th, 2013For the first time, a major national grocery chain has committed to labeling GMO foods.
Cloning All Over Again: Reviving the Idea of Re-creating Speciesby Pete ShanksBiopolitical TimesMarch 7th, 2013An environmentalist-turned-techno-enthusiast, a synthetic biology champion, and a cloning expert are teaming up to promote what they call "de-extinction."
Guidelines for Genetic Testing of Childrenby Pete ShanksBiopolitical TimesFebruary 28th, 2013A new policy statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Medical Genetics discusses when doctors should suggest a genetic test for a child.
"Genius Genes" to be Named in Three Months, Says Chinese "Wunderkind"by Pete ShanksBiopolitical TimesFebruary 20th, 2013BGI, the Chinese gene-sequencing behemoth, is working with Stephen Hsu and Robert Plomin in an attempt to identify genes for intelligence.
Gene-ism and the Trout in the Milkby Pete ShanksBiopolitical TimesFebruary 19th, 2013The remains of King Richard III were not really identified by DNA, but that was what the headlines said.
How Soon Is Now? Prenatal Tests Racing from Theory to Practice by Pete ShanksBiopolitical TimesFebruary 5th, 2013The rapid development and deployment of non-invasive prenatal genetic tests may be outstripping the ability of society to respond to them.
George Church on Neanderthal Clones and Designer Babies by Pete ShanksBiopolitical TimesJanuary 23rd, 2013George Church now says that he doesn't advocate cloning a Neanderthal with a human surrogate. Here's some context.
Wanted: Adventurous Surrogate to Gestate Neanderthal Baby [updated]by Pete ShanksBiopolitical TimesJanuary 19th, 2013George Church speculates about an "adventurous female human" willing to be impregnated with a synthetically constructed and genetically engineered Neanderthal-like clone.
Follow the Biotech Money … If You Can Find It by Pete ShanksBiopolitical TimesJanuary 9th, 2013In a relatively slow period for mergers and acquisitions in genomics and related sectors, Illumina, Amgen, BGI, and BioTime were buyers and 23andMe added financing while Geron sold and Roche held off.
Tell the FDA: No Genetically Modified Salmonby Pete ShanksBiopolitical TimesJanuary 2nd, 2013The FDA released a "Preliminary Finding of No Significant Impact" about a modified Atlantic salmon, but invites comments before a final decision.
Biopolitical News of the Year 2012by Pete ShanksBiopolitical TimesDecember 20th, 2012Artificial gametes and renewed advocacy of inheritable genetic modification are featured in our summary of the news, along with prenatal and other genetic testing, commercial surrogacy, egg freezing, eugenics, DNA databases, stem-cell scandals and more.
Top Biopolitical Times posts of 2012by Pete ShanksBiopolitical TimesDecember 19th, 2012Some of our favorites of the year, including comments on genetic privacy, embryos for sale, April foolery, fraud, eugenics and a whole lot more.
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