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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 
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Gloved hands injects stems cells into a knee draped in blue medical sheeting
By Laura Beil, ScienceNews | 01.30.2020

Joanna had just turned 62 when she noticed that she couldn’t stand very long before her right leg would hurt...

young girl stands in front of a window with back to camera
By Dan Samorodnitsky, VICE | 01.24.2020

It’s tempting to see genes everywhere, lurking in every shadow. For geneticists trying to understand a disease, or Bret Stephens...

a boy in a blue hoodie stands behind a cyclone fence
By Daniel I. Morales, Natalie Ram and Jessica L. Roberts, The New York Times | 01.23.2020

What if the United States government took the DNA of vast numbers of Americans for use without their consent? The...

23andMe test packaging, green with green, blue, and red accents
By Rani Molla, Vox | 01.23.2020

23andMe, the popular DNA testing company, is laying off about 100 employees or 14 percent of its workforce as consumer...

close-up photo of a researcher wearing safety glasses
By Rob Stein, NPR | 01.15.2020

Researchers have conducted a controversial study that involved paying dozens of young women at a hospital near Puerto Vallarta, Mexico...

circular graphic representing a human genome
By Krishanu Saha, J. Benjamin Hurlbut & Sheila Jasanoff , Scientific American | 01.15.2020

In November 2018, a Chinese scientist, He Jiankui, caused an international uproar by announcing the birth of two babies whose...

photo of a world cloud
By Katie Hasson and Marcy Darnovsky, Development Journal | 01.14.2020

As genetic technologies merge with forensics, medicine, and human reproduction, renewed eugenic temptations are arising. The prospect of heritable genetic...

A Border Patrol agent takes a man into custody
By The Washington Post Editorial Board, The Washington Post | 01.11.2020

News this month that the U.S. government would start collecting DNA from people detained at the border seemed to sketch...