The Center for Genetics and Society brings social justice and human rights to the center of public and policy discussions about human genetics and assisted reproduction.

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Sociogenomics and Polygenic Scores

By Peter Wehling, Tino Plümecke, and Isabelle Bartram | 03.26.2025
Biopolitical Times

This article was originally published as “Soziogenomik und polygene Scores” in issue 272 (February 2025) of the German-language journal Gen-ethischer Informationsdienst (GID); translated by the authors.

In mid-November 2024, the British organization Hope not Hate published its investigative research ‘Inside the Eugenics Revival’. In addition to documentating an active international “race research” network, the investigation also brought to light the existence of a US start-up that offers eugenic embryo selection. Heliospect Genomics aims to enable wealthy couples to...

Genetic Selection

23andMe’s DNA database is up for sale. Who might want it, and what for?

By Anumita Kaur [cites CGS’ Katie Hasson], The Washington Post | 03.25.2025

Aggregated News

Genetic information company 23andMe has said that it is headed to bankruptcy court, raising questions for what happens to the DNA shared by millions of people with the company via saliva test kits.

Sunday’s announcement clears the way for a new...

Genomics

On Woolly Mice, Resurrecting Mammoths, and Tech Bros

By Pete Shanks | 03.17.2025
Biopolitical Times

Riquet Mammoth Kakao (c.1920) 
by Ludwig Hohlwein, Public Domain via Flickr

Colossal, the de-extinction company, scored headlines (1...

Animal Biotechnologies

Should We Use Gene Editing to Create Super Babies?

By Staff [cites CGS' Katie Hasson], The New York Times Upfront | 02.17.2025

Aggregated News

A young couple wants to have a baby, but they’re worried it’ll carry a disease that runs in the family...

Bioethics

Biopolitical Times

How Much Do (Human) Eggs Really Cost?

By Emma McDonald Kennedy | 04.24.2025

A Review of Eggonomics: The Global Market in Human Eggs and the Donors Who Supply Them by Diane M. Tober

...
U.S. Federal

A Deeper Dive Into the Colossal Furor

By Pete Shanks | 04.23.2025

Gray wolf by Jessica Eirich via Unsplash

“I’m not a scarcity guy, I’m an abundance guy”
– Colossal co-founder and CEO...

Animal Biotechnologies

Sociogenomics and Polygenic Scores

By Peter Wehling, Tino Plümecke, and Isabelle Bartram | 03.26.2025

This article was originally published as “Soziogenomik und polygene Scores” in issue 272 (February 2025) of the German-language journal Gen-ethischer...

Genetic Selection

News

Forensic DNA breaks new ground for MMIP cold cases

By Mary Annette Pember, ICT News [cites CGS' Katie Hasson] | 04.18.2025

The sight of a room full of human cadavers can be off-putting for some, but not for Haley Omeasoo.

In fact, Omeasoo’s comfort level and lack of squeamishness convinced her to pursue studies in forensics and how DNA can be...

Genomics

“NatalCon” and the Contradictions of the Pronatalist Right

By Daniel Colligan, Jacobin | 04.18.2025

From the Natalism website

Last month’s gathering of pronatalists in Austin, Texas, revealed a right-wing milieu riven by internal contradictions — and without a plausible plan to significantly increase birth rates.

Widespread concern about falling birth rates has prompted some...

Bioethics

DREDF Denounces RFK Jr.’s Comments on Autism as Hateful, Harmful and Uninformed

By Staff, DREDF | 04.17.2025

"Robert F. Kennedy Jr." by Gage Skidmore via Wikimedia Commons licensed under CC by SA 3.0

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s recent statements on autism are hateful, uninformed, and extraordinarily harmful to...

Society

Pronatalism Isn’t a Solution, It’s a Problem.

By Sarah Jones, Intelligencer | 04.17.2025

From the Natalism website

Elon Musk may not have appeared at the Natal Conference in Austin, Texas, this year, but he didn’t have to. The very concept of pronatalism owes its current prominence to him and his obsession with fertility...

Society

Video
Reproduction and Family Formation: The State and the Market
Use Gene Editing to Make Better Babies | Debate | Intelligence Squared U.S.
The 'Perfect' Baby?: The Dangers of Gene Editing in Assisted Reproduction