News

'Superbabies' Startup Seeks Funds for Controversial Gene Editing Push

By Sophie Alexander and Ike Swetlitz, Bloomberg | 06.25.2025

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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Patents & Other IP

Can doctors test embryos for autism? And should they?

By Brittany Luse, Liam McBain, and Neena Pathak, NPR [cites CGS' Katie Hasson] | 05.28.2025

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...

Genetic Selection

Why Deleting Your 23andMe Data Is a Political Imperative

By Katie Sagaser, The DNA Exchange | 05.27.2025

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

U.S. Federal

Trumpian “Common Sense” and the History of IQ Tests

By Pepper Stetler, Los Angeles Review of Books | 05.08.2025

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

This is...

Society
a banner saying eugenics over a tree

They, the people

By Patricia J. Williams, TLS | 08.06.2021

In 1853, Joseph-Arthur, Comte de Gobineau published a tract entitled “Essay on the Inequality of the Human Races”, in which...

Eugenics
GMO corn field with signs

USDA’s actions on gene-edited approvals challenged in court

By Jacqui Fatka, Farm Progress | 08.06.2021

Photo licensed for use by CC BY 2.0 on Wikimedia Commons

In May 2020, the previous administration’s USDA issued its...

Policies
bone marrow

She Has Stem Cells in Her Crosshairs

By Elizabeth Preston, NEO.LIFE | 08.05.2021

Photo by Ed Uthman on Flickr

In 2017, Agnieszka Czechowicz watched a four-year-old girl sleeping soundly in a California hospital...

Stem Cells
Lung X-Ray

These Algorithms Look at X-Rays—and Somehow Detect Your Race

By Tom Simonite, Wired | 08.05.2021

Photo licensed for use by CC BY-SA 4.0 on Wikimedia Commons

Millions of dollars are being spent to develop artificial intelligence...

A "Post-Human" Future?
Women protesting with signs that read "stop abortion bans"

The governor was right to veto a dangerous NC abortion bill

By Rebecca Todd Peters, The Charlotte Observer | 08.04.2021

Photo by Fibonacci Blue on Flickr

The N.C. legislature is soon expected to vote on whether to override or uphold...

U.S. States
NFL football players on field

How ‘race-norming’ was built into the NFL concussion settlement

By Will Hobson, The Washington Post | 08.02.2021

Licensed for use by CC BY-SA 2.0 on Wikimedia Commons

CHANDLER, Ariz. — At first glance, Rick Cunningham looks ...

Arts & Culture

The next debate on embryo science

By Editorial, Nature Biotechnology | 08.02.2021

A longstanding prohibition against culturing human embryos for more than 14 days is now open for discussion, according to revised...

Stem Cells

Countries with a cultural preference for sons likely to lose another 4.7 million girls by 2030

By Emily Henderson, News Medical | 07.31.2021

Countries with a skewed sex ratio at birth, because of a cultural preference for sons, are set to ‘lose’ another...

Policies