News

During his 2015 State of the Union address, then-President Barack Obama announced what he promised would be an ambitious public health project. “Tonight, I’m launching a new Precision Medicine Initiative to bring us closer to curing diseases like cancer and diabetes...

This is the 15th 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. You can read the first part here. The series...

Justin Schleede reaches onto a black lab bench to pick up a tray of small plastic tubes.

"These are saliva...

"If proven to be safe, we believe preventive gene editing could be one of the most important health technologies of...

Silhouette of John Holdren.
By Dave Levitan, WIRED | 12.20.2016

President Obama’s science advisor, John Holdren, isn’t kidding when he praises his boss. “I sincerely think [he] is the most...

A black and white illustration of moral compass, with directions of "good," "evil," "progress," and "regress."
By Alexandra Minna Stern, Issues in Science and Technology | 12.20.2016

In "The History of Eugenics" (Issues, Spring 2016), Daniel J. Kevles rightly reminds us that many biotechnologies initially viewed...

Planet earth levitates in human hands.
By ETC Group, ETC Group | 12.19.2016

CANCUN, MEXICO — This week, 196 countries meeting at the 2016 UN Convention on Biodiversity (CBD) Conference of the Parties...

Illustrated image of four hands hoovering over a completed puzzle.
By Max Stendahl, Boston Business Journal | 12.16.2016

Four biotechs involved in the burgeoning field of gene editing announced a formal patent alliance on Friday that puts them...

A crack of light pours into a barely opened door.
By James Gallagher, BBC News | 12.15.2016

Babies made from two women and one man have been approved by the UK's fertility regulator.

The historic and controversial...

Director of National Intelligence James R. Clapper stands at a podium as a speaker, with the Office of Director of National Intelligence symbol in the background.
By Himanshu Goenka, IB Times | 12.14.2016

Crispr is a tool that allows for genes to be edited, and has great potential in the treatment of a...

Scientist examines images of stem cells in a lab.
By Megan Molten, Wired | 12.13.2016

If Sammy Jo Wilkinson had a spirit animal, it would be Marty McFly. For the past four years, the 51...

A black and white photo of an enthusiastically excited audience cheering, clapping, and smiling.
By Nathaniel Comfort, Aeon | 12.12.2016

Science has always issued medical promissory notes. In the 17th century, Francis Bacon promised that an understanding of the true...