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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...

Portrait of Linnaeus
By Alan Goodman, Discover | 06.25.2020

Carl Linnaeus, who defined four varieties of humans in the 18th century
Portrait by Alexander Roslin; cropped photo by Nationalmuseum, Sweden

A friend...

Clamps adjusting DNA
By Heidi Ledford, Nature | 06.25.2020

A suite of experiments that use the gene-editing tool CRISPR–Cas9 to modify human embryos have revealed how the process can...

By Alison Motluk, HeyReprotech Newsletter | 06.23.2020

Many people, finding themselves at the end of their reproductive journey, decide to donate their extra embryos "to science." We...

Sickle cell anemia, showing blood vessel with normal and deformated crescent
By Rob Stein , NPR | 06.23.2020

Like millions of other Americans, Victoria Gray has been sheltering at home with her children as the U.S. struggles through...

Seal of California
By David Jensen, Capitol Weekly [cites CGS and Marcy Darnovsky] | 06.22.2020

A $5.5 billion stem cell bond measure qualified this afternoon for the November ballot, but the campaign to win voter...

Stem Cell Research
By Brent Schrotenboer, USA Today | 06.22.2020

In a message posted on Facebook in early May, a startup company in San Diego tried to sell a big...

The Mighty Mosquito
By Natalie Kofler and Jennifer Kuzma , Boston Globe | 06.22.2020

While the attention of the American public has rightfully been focused on the COVID-19 pandemic, its associated racial disparities, and...

X chromosome against the background of DNA
By Robin McKie , The Guardian | 06.21.2020

Twenty years ago this week, an international group of scientists announced it had put together the first genetic blueprint of...