News

A Chinese scientist horrified the world in 2018 when he revealed he had secretly engineered the birth of the world's first gene-edited babies.

His work was reviled as reckless and unethical because, among other reasons, gene-editing was so new...

INTRODUCTION

Baby bonuses. Motherhood medals. Fertility tracking. You may have heard of these policy proposals as solutions from the Trump administration to help encourage women to have more children.

Besides falling short of ensuring that people have what they need...

Adapted from Mitochondrial DNA at
National Human Genome Research Institute

Recently, media outlets around the world have been reporting on...

A newly available kind of genetic testing, called polygenic embryo screening, promises to screen for conditions that can include cancer...

A genealogy chart made up of pink and blue rectangles used by Snohomish County Sheriff to identify suspect in 1987 murder case.
By Heather Murphy, The New York Times | 05.18.2018

In 1987, Jay Cook, 20, and Tanya Van Cuylenborg, 18, a couple from Canada, were brutally killed while they were...

Illustration of a tree draped with a banner that reads "EUGENICS." The roots of the tree have the names of various disciplines on them, e.g. genetics, genealogy, biology, history.
By The Times Editorial Board, Los Angeles Times | 05.18.2018

As appalling as it sounds today, the practice of sterilizing mentally ill women and men to prevent them from passing...

A hand in latex gloves holds a row of small plastic tubes between thumb and index finger
By Peter Aldhous, Buzzfeed | 05.17.2018

The remarkable sleuthing method that tracked down the Golden State Killer was not a one-off. A company in Virginia is...

Close up of the feet of a newborn baby laying on a white bed in a hospital. The baby has a hospital tag around its right ankle.
By CBS Sacramento, CBS News | 05.14.2018

DNA is back in the spotlight, cracking cold cases. But questions are being raised after the state spent decades collecting...

the contents of a 23 and Me test kit: test tube with funnel and two white caps in a white and green box
By Catharine Wang, The Conversation | 05.14.2018

Aggressive marketing techniques and the popularization of “gifting” recreational ancestry tests has led more consumers than ever to the world...

A pair of hands holds a small dish filled with gel, out of focus, hand-labeled jars on the table
By Emily Baumgaertner, The New York Times | 05.14.2018

WASHINGTON — As a teenager, Keoni Gandall already was operating a cutting-edge research laboratory in his bedroom in Huntington Beach...

Oocyte with zona pellucida
By Ariana Eunjung Cha, The Washington Post [cites CGS' Marcy Darnovsky] | 05.14.2018

When future historians look back on the 21st century, one of the most iconic photos may be...

Black and white photo of a pregnant abdomen
By Erin Heidt-Forsythe and Heather Silber Mohamed, The Washington Post | 05.13.2018

This Mother’s Day, many women (and men) around the globe are struggling to have children, turning to a variety of...