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...

Orange, Red, and Green artist rendition of DNA helices
By Richard Lachman, The Conversation | 01.17.2018

In 1959, the British physicist and novelist C.P. Snow delivered a famously controversial lecture at Cambridge University. He described...

Repeating letters ATCG in a colorful chart that represents a DNA sequence.
By Marcy Darnovsky, Leaps Magazine | 01.17.2018

“I want to democratize science,” says biohacker extraordinaire Josiah Zayner.

This is certainly a worthy-sounding sentiment. And it is central...

A white baby is swimming under water, with arms reaching out.
By Katie Hasson, Zócalo Public Square | 01.17.2018

When we talk about gene editing technology, we often talk about—but almost never deeply consider—the concept of designer babies. Consider...

A stack of newspapers.
By Olivia B. Waxman, Time | 01.16.2018

Kim Kardashian West and Kanye West have announced that their third child, a daughter, was born on Monday via surrogate...

Silhouette of a tractor in a crop field. Against its background is a sunset, and blue skies with clouds
By Kristen V. Brown, Gizmodo | 01.16.2018

In September, the U.S. Department of Agriculture gave the green light to a version of the plant Camelina sativa, an...

A clock appears hanging on wall, with its hands showing the time 10:25
By David Gorn, KQED | 01.16.2018

The year was 2004, and great medical breakthroughs were supposedly right around the corner.

In TV advertisements, celebrities Michael J...

An isolated lab station, which has several containers, lab equipment, test tubes, and petri dishes in stacks.
By Wang Yingying, Sixth Tone | 01.15.2018

HEBEI, North China — Even though Han Chunyu’s car was parked just outside his lab, the scientist wasn’t available to...

A baby plays with a blanket that they are laying on. The baby is wearing pink glasses frames without lenses, with the words "Kiss."
By Megan Molteni, Wired | 01.15.2018

You have instant communicationon-demand entertainment, and dial-up transportation—why should you have to wait nine months to...