The “anything goes” ethical peril in biotechnology is real. The need for a serious discussion about this and other such experiments such as CRISPR germ-line genetic engineering is more urgent than ever. But I suspect the crickets will keep chirping. Read More ›
Medicine isn’t just about wellness and curing illness anymore. It is also a central resource facilitating lifestyle enablement and the fulfillment of subjective personal desires. Cosmetic surgery — as distinguished from restorative procedures — is an obvious example. Read More ›
Our pal Andrew Stuttaford tweeted a story about a CRISPR genetic engineering experiment from the Financial Times. I checked it out, and given the frequent criticisms I have penned here about sometimes out-of-control biotechnological research, I thought it was worth a few moments to illustrate how much of what is being done is perfectly ethical. Read More ›
Oh, the screaming we heard about embryonic stem cells during the George W. Bush presidency. Those who opposed wide-open federal funding were branded “anti-science,” and delusional for claiming that adult stem cells offered the better promise of treatments. Read More ›
They said they wouldn’t do it, but of course they did. Scientists working in China — where else? — have constructed embryos that are part human and part monkey. Read More ›
I am no fan of the United Kingdom’s health advisory board, known as NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence). But there is one thing about which you can rest assured. It ain’t a religious fundamentalist organization. Read More ›
As society roils with COVID and the election, the biotechnological revolution rushes forward with scientists bound by few enforceable ethical boundaries. Read More ›
Dripping reagent into test tube with liquid sample, closeup. Laboratory analysis
When a scientist in China proudly announced the birth of the first germ-line genetically engineered babies — meaning the alterations would flow down the generations — there was a firestorm. But notably, despite the screaming and arrest of the scientist by China (as if the authorities in the great tyranny didn’t know what he was up to), nothing was done to legally prevent other researchers from using the CRISPR technique to genetically engineer embryos and/or bring them to birth. Read More ›
