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...

Landscape photo of green field and a blue sky with clouds.
By Danny Hakim, The New York Times | 10.29.2016

LONDON — The controversy over genetically modified crops has long focused on largely unsubstantiated fears that they are unsafe to...

Colin Kaepernick dressed in 49'er uniform, is glancing to his right shoulder.
By Shaun King, New York Daily News | 10.29.2016

"Dad. Does Colin still have a game on Sunday?"

The question was a smart one for any football fan to...

George Church is the central subject of the photo, with book shelves in the background.
By Ike Swelitz, Stat News | 10.28.2016

The research group behind an effort to synthesize a human genome this week released more information about its plans, including a draft...

8 illustrations of sperm cells meet in the middle of a surrounding circle of British flags. rolled up.
By Laura Lea, BBC | 10.27.2016

The UK's first national sperm bank has stopped recruiting donors less than two years after its launch, it has emerged

...
Lamp post sign reads "Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Visitor's Center." On the building is a sign that is directed to the sun light. Its shadow reads: "Today's problems are solvable"
By Antonio Regalado, MIT Technology Review | 10.27.2016

Nonprofits and corporations are in a race to fight dengue and Zika.

The fight against dengue and Zika in Latin...

Wine is poured over the top of a wine glass. Background is left unfocused with lights.
By Rebecca Robbins, STAT News | 10.27.2016

A new wine delivery service called Vinome is promising to deliver “the ultimate personalized wine experience” — customized to your DNA...

A hand shows a sample collection tube from 23andMe kit.
By Stephanie M. Lee, BuzzFeed | 10.26.2016

Genetics startup 23andMe has let go of a team of scientists and a top executive as it has stopped pursuing

...
The enormous AIDS memorial quilt is colorfully laid on the ground, with the Washington Monument standing in the background.
By Donald G. McNeil Jr., New York Times | 10.26.2016

In the tortuous mythology of the AIDS epidemic, one legend never seems to die: Patient Zero, a.k.a. Gaétan Dugas, a...