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

Supreme Court Strikes a Hard Blow to Tribal Sovereignty in Adoption Case

By Aura Bogado, The Nation | 06.25.2013
In a 5 to 4 decision today, the Supreme Court ruled that the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) does not...
Biopolitics

Sterilized Transsexuals Sue Swedish government

By Ann Törnkvist, The Local | 06.24.2013
"Honestly, what the hell is the problem?" says Swedish actress Aleksa Lundberg about the Swedish prime minister's refusal to apologize...
Bioethics

Powerful Gene-Editing Tool Appears to Cause Off-Target Mutations in Human Cells

By Massachusetts General Hospital, Science Codex | 06.23.2013
In the past year a group of synthetic proteins called CRISPR-Cas RNA-guided nucleases (RGNs) have generated great excitement in the...
Biotech & Pharma

Pioneering Icelandic Genetics Company Denied Approval for Data-Mining Plan

By Jocelyn Kaiser, Science | 06.20.2013
deCODE Genetics, the company known for mining the DNA of Iceland's population to find links between genes and diseases, has...
Other Countries

U.S. Approves a Label for Meat From Animals Fed a Diet Free of Gene-Modified Products

By Stephanie Strom, The New York Times | 06.20.2013
The Agriculture Department has approved a label for meat and liquid egg products that includes a claim about the absence...
U.S. Federal

Should Women Make a Profit on Donating Their Eggs For Research?

By Larry Mantle, KPCC | 06.20.2013

[To listen to the full radio segment, go here]

The amount of money a woman can receive for donating...

Bioethics

'More Rights, More Inclusion, Better Country': Argentina Approves IVF for All

By Alex Stern, The Huffington Post | 06.20.2013
This post was co-authored with Gamal Serour, M.D.

Earlier this month Argentina joined the list of countries that subsidize in...
Bioethics

New Study Tracks Emotional Health of 'Surrogate Kids'

By Linda Carroll, Today | 06.19.2013
Over the past decade the number of births involving surrogacy with donor eggs and sperm has surged. What, experts wondered...
Civil Society