News

More Americans are turning to surrogacy to build their families, as the practice becomes more common and more publicly discussed.

Why it matters: As surrogacy becomes more visible and accessible, ethical, legal and cultural tensions become harder to ignore...

This is the first part of the 14th installment in the Legacies of Eugenics series, which features essays by leading thinkers devoted to exploring the history of eugenics and the ways it shapes our present. The series is organized by...

Without a federal law, surrogacy in the U.S. is governed by a patchwork of state regulations/

Why it matters: Confusing...

"MC0_8230" via Wikimedia Commons licensed under CC by 2.0 

This report documents a deliberate assault on disabled people in...

Photo of He Jiankui in a lab
By Austin Ramzy and Sui-Lee Wee, The New York Times | 01.21.2019

HONG KONG — A Chinese scientist who claimed to have created the world’s first genetically edited babies “seriously violated” state...

Bensalem police car parked in front of fence
By Heather Murphy, The New York Times | 01.21.2019

BENSALEM, Pa. — They call it the “magic box.” Its trick is speedy, nearly automated processing of DNA.

“It’s groundbreaking...

Two twin girls with brown hair standing next to each other
By Charlsie Agro and Luke Denne, CBC | 01.18.2019

One set of identical twins, two different ancestry profiles.

At least that's the suggestion from one of the world's largest...

DNA inside a syringe on a blue background.
By Françoise Baylis and Marcy Darnovsky, The Hastings Center | 01.17.2019

Despite the appearance of agreement, scientists are not of the same mind about the ethics and governance of human germline...

Old black and white photograph of young James Watson
By Mary Papenfuss, Huffington Post | 01.14.2019

Nobel laureate James Watson has been stripped of honorary titles by the laboratory he once led after spewing more racist...

Stem cells in syringe being injected into knee
By Max Levy, Vox | 01.13.2019

Inside Mark Berman’s clinic in Rancho Mirage, California, is a sign he’s obliged by law to post. It reads “Not...

Blue double helix DNA strand on dark blue background
By Jing-Bao Nie and Alexander T.M. Cheung, The Hastings Center | 01.10.2019

In their single-minded venture of “producing” (shengchan, in their own word) the world’s first gene-edited babies, He Jiankui and...

Two feet standing on a scale
By Kristen V. Brown, Bloomberg | 01.08.2019

Consumer DNA-testing giant 23andMe Inc. plans to add new wellness offerings it hopes will help its customers shed a few...