Biopolitical Times

The Center for Genetics and Society blog highlights the latest developments in the social, political, and ethical implications of human biotechnologies, with contributions from staff, fellows, consultants, and guest authors.

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7 Questionable Claims in Reporting on Gene Editing Human Embryos

By Katie Hasson | 09.06.2017

On July 26, news broke that scientists led by Shoukrat Mitalipov used CRISPR to perform gene editing on human embryos—a first in the United States. Scientists in China had previously edited human embryos, but the Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) researchers edited more embryos with greater accuracy than previous attempts.

Last week, prominent researchers raised doubts about the findings of this study. But this developing scientific controversy raises additional questions about the initial reporting of this research. The...

Media Coverage

"Scattered Seeds" makes the case for disclosure of sperm donors

By Gina Maranto, Guest Contributor | 08.30.2017
Biopolitical Times
Scattered Seeds: In Search of Family and Identity in the Sperm Donor Generation, by Jacqueline Mroz, 253 pp. Seal Press, 2017. In 1681, the English poet John Dryden began his epic poem “Absalom and Achitophel,” a political satire, with an account of a monarch who...
Arts & Culture

The CSI Effect: How TV shapes DNA forensics in the courtroom

By Jonathan Chernoguz | 07.18.2017
Swab, sequence, repeat.This is how DNA forensics has been popularized on television shows like CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. In each episode, a skilled team of forensic investigators solves criminal cases by scouring crime scenes, collecting DNA, and matching samples they find with those available in their extensive databases...
Arts & Culture

"Woolly" is a Relentlessly Optimistic Book about De-Extinction

By Pete Shanks | 07.18.2017

Woolly: The True Story of the Quest to Revive One of History’s Most Iconic Extinct Creatures, by Ben Mezrich; 256 pp. plus Epilogue by George Church, Afterword by Stewart Brand, and endmatter. Atria Books, 2017

The style of Woolly...

Arts & Culture
The front of the California State Capitol Building in Sacramento, California.

California Plans Legislation to Compensate Sterilization Survivors

By Emily Galpern, Guest Contributor | 08.10.2017
U.S. States
Image of a display from UC Berkeley Lawrence Hall of Science's Biotech Learning Lab featuring two children using a pipette and a beaker.

Which Dots Get Connected in Biotech Education?

By Tina Stevens, Guest Contributor | 08.10.2017
Biotech & Pharma
Book cover of "Babies of Technology" featuring quadruplets wearing overalls and red striped shirt looking over the edge of a crib.

Factoring in the Rights of Children in Assisted Reproduction

By Gina Maranto, Guest Contributor | 08.10.2017
Arts & Culture
The cast of Orphan Black is dressed in character and lined against a darkened background. The main character is positioned in the middle, with a hood covering her head. The title, "Orphan Black" appears below the characters, with a double helix in the letter "H."

What Clones Think of CRISPR and other Highlights from the Final Season of Orphan Black

By Jessica Cussins | 08.07.2017
Arts & Culture