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A California-startup focused on genetically editing human embryos — a step toward creating so-called designer babies — is raising money as many of Silicon Valley’s ultra-rich turn their attention to one of the most controversial technologies in medicine.

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A newly available kind of genetic testing, called polygenic embryo screening, promises to screen for conditions that can include cancer, obesity, autism, bipolar disorder, even celiac disease. These conditions are informed by many genetic variants and environmental factors - so...

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this piece are solely my own and do not represent those of my...

"Donald Trump Signs The Pledge" by Michael Vadon 
is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.

This is...

He Jiankui
By Luis Prada, Vice | 03.14.2025

public domain photo by Voice of America via Wikimedia Commons

Back in 2019, Chinese biophysicist He Jiankui proudly announced to...

genetic selection graphic
By Dalton Conley, The New York Times | 03.13.2025

Since Francis Galton coined the phrase “nature versus nurture” 150 years ago, the debate about what makes us who we...

IVF lab equipment photo
By Nick Cumming-Bruce, New York Times | 03.13.2025

A United Nations commission on Thursday accused Israel of targeting hospitals and other health facilities in Gaza that provide reproductive...

eugenics graphic on yellow background
By Carter Sherman, The Guardian | 03.11.2025

In his first address to the United States after becoming vice-president, JD Vance stood on stage and proclaimed: “I want...

Computing inside and outside a brain
By Craig S. Smith, Forbes | 03.08.2025

One recent evening in Shenzhen, a group of software engineers gathered in a dimly lit co-working space, furiously typing as...

selection of embryos
By Jamie Ducharme, TIME | 03.06.2025

After struggling for eight years to have a baby, Shannon Petersen and her husband decided to try in vitro fertilization...

Asilomar beach
By Jon Cohen, Science | 03.05.2025

Photo by Wonderlane on Unsplash

On a nearly still and moonlit night last week, some 75 people formed a circle...

eugenics graphic
By Jason Wilson, The Guardian | 03.03.2025

A natalist conference featuring speakers including self-described eugenicists and promoters of race science, apparently including the man behind a previously...