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.

Bootstrap Bio...

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
JD Vance

Vance’s ‘cat ladies’ remarks have dark historical legacy

By Jacob M. Apel, The Baltimore Sun | 08.16.2024

"J.D. Vance" by Gage Skidmore licensed under CC by S.A. 2.0

Senator J.D. Vance of Ohio, the Republican...

Society
Trump

Donald Trump Relies on Eugenics Concepts, UT Prof Argues in New Book

By Neha Kondaveeti, The Austin Chronicle | 08.16.2024

"Donald Trump Signs The Pledge 11" by Michael Vadon licensed under CC by SA 4.0

“They’re poisoning the...

U.S. Federal
man holding cup with photo of sperm

Sperm donors are anonymous in Canada. Adult children are finding their roots anyway.

By Alison Motluk, Broadview | 08.15.2024

Canada has been slow to end anonymous paternity, but cheap and easy genetic testing makes staying unknown all but impossible. ...

Policies
yellow pill bottle with orange pills spilling out

Medicare negotiated drug prices for the first time. Here’s what it got

By Sydney Lupkin and Asma Khalid, NPR | 08.15.2024

The White House unveiled the fruits of months of negotiations between the government and pharmaceutical companies: new, lower Medicare prices...

U.S. Federal
ivf graphic

How Christian Conservatives Are Planning for the Next Battle, on I.V.F.

By Elizabeth Dias, The New York Times | 08.14.2024

Republicans may be backing away from abortion, but these activists have a strategy, with or without Trump.

The pivot seems...

Policies
a building with rubble

War halts IVF treatment in Gaza as parents mourn ‘miracle’ children

By Aseel Mousa and Emma Graham-Harrison, The Guardian | 08.13.2024

Image by Emad El Byed from Unsplash

Airstrikes have killed children born from IVF, while shelling of fertility clinic’s lab...

Other Countries
scientist in white coat touching purple and pink DNA

The Power and Potential of Gene Tuning

By Fyodor Urnov, Time | 08.12.2024

After a lifetime in the field of epigenetics, and nearly 20 years after my colleagues and I coined the term...

Human Genetic Modification
a piece of DNA being taken out of a larger part

China’s ethics guidelines – A new era for human genome editing?

By Joy Zhang, BioNews | 08.12.2024

What do China’s new ethical guidlines tell us about the country's changing attitude to human genome editing? Professor Joy Zhang...

Human Genetic Modification