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...

A globe is shown, highlighting North and South America
By Victoria Burnett, New York Times | 03.23.2017

VILLAHERMOSA, Mexico — After years of longing and a mountain of expense, Michael Theologos became a father in December, when...

Design of a chromosome, outlined in bright green.
By Louise Aronson, New York Times | 03.23.2017

You can’t tell by looking at me, but I’m a genetic mutant. My mother is, too, as were my aunt...

Two authorities in yellow jackets look directly at the camera, with an eye of suspicion. One of them holds out a DNA swabbing spit kit.
By Allison Lewis, Newsday | 03.23.2017

If you think the government wouldn’t target you as a suspect because of who is in your family, you might...

Bird's eye view of six petri dishes.
By Carl Zimmer, New York Times | 03.21.2017

As biological research races forward, ethical quandaries are piling up. In a report published Tuesday in the journal eLife, researchers...

Close-up of image of an eye, with eyelashes surrounding the eye lid.
By Peter Aldhous, Buzzfeed News | 03.21.2017

The story began, like so many in biotechnology, with an upbeat press release: Up to 100 patients with a...

Photo of a lab bench, with several equipment on the desk.
By Rob Stein, NPR | 03.21.2017

How far should scientists be allowed to go in creating things that resemble primitive human brains, hearts, and even human...

Bird's eye view of an elder face.
By Carolyn Gregoire, Huffington Post | 03.20.2017

It’s not just genetics that influences whether your nose turns out short and wide or tall and narrow.

Whether your...

Silhouette of three figures walking with bare feet across the ground. In the distance is the sun rise.
By Ewen Callaway, Nature | 03.20.2017

The San people of southern Africa are among the most-studied indigenous groups in the world. Legions of researchers have investigated...