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

Boxes of sealed papers from an influential anti-immigrant activist have been stored at U of M for years. So what’s in them?

By Alison Donahue, Michigan Advance | 01.09.2020

In 2016, Virginia-based immigration lawyer Hassan Ahmad sent the University of Michigan a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to...

Perspectives

The Sperm Kings Have a Problem: Too Much Demand

By Nellie Bowles, The New York Times | 01.08.2020

The sperm kings of America are exhausted.

These men are flying all over the place. They are shipping their sperm...

Assisted Reproduction

Buyer Beware: A Maryland Surrogacy Agency Was Scamming Vulnerable Hopeful Parents

By Ellen Trachman, Above the Law | 01.08.2020

You might not have heard the news, given the holiday season, but the alarming case of a scam surrogacy agency...

Reproductive Justice, Health & Rights

Silhouettes of prisoners behind a fence.

The U.S. Government’s Mass Collection of Immigrant DNA Hints at Surveillance Future

By Emily Mullin, Medium One Zero [cites CGS' Katie Hasson] | 01.08.2020

This week, the United States government will begin collecting DNA samples from thousands of people detained by immigration officials, including...

Genomics

He Jiankui speaking at the the international genome editing summit in Hong Kong

Scientific Ethics and Gene Edited Babies

By Françoise Baylis, The Boston Globe | 01.05.2020

Three babies, three scientists, three years in jail, and a three million yuan fine. This is the story of He...

Human Genetic Modification

Photo of Françoise Baylis, a white woman with brown hair, smiling

Prison Sentence for Creator of First CRISPR Babies Reignites Ethical Debate

By Françoise Baylis, The Conversation | 01.05.2020

A month ago, there were countless commentaries on the one-year anniversary of the news that Chinese researcher He Jiankui had...

Human Genetic Modification

Chinese Bioethicists: He Jiankui’s Crime is More than Illegal Medical Practice

By Ruipeng Lei and Renzong Qiu, The Hastings Center Bioethics Forum | 01.04.2020

Professionals and the public in China first learned of the jail sentence of He Jiankui from the report of Xinhua...

Human Genetic Modification

Illustration of scientists constructing DNA

Rewriting Our Genes Is Easier Than Ever. That Doesn't Mean We Should Do It.

By Sarah Ruth Bates, WBUR Boston | 01.03.2020

Gene-editing technologies have huge potential to alleviate human suffering. But, like all very powerful technologies, they also carry enormous risks...

Human Genetic Modification