We’re speciesist and proud, says The Lancet
Human health must always trump animal rights, The Lancet argues in its lead editorial this week. "The use of animals in medical research and safety...
US bioethics council battered at both ends
After weathering three years of criticism for being a conservative, biased, unscientific influence on George W. Bush, the US President's Council on Bioethics is now...
More mysteries in embryology than once thought
As an example of how much scientists still have to learn about developmental biology, US researchers are investigating a largely unknown third group of cells...
Nearly half of Chinese births by C-section
China's one-child policy is contributing to "soaring numbers" of women who choose to have their single child by Caesarean section, the Wall Street Journal has...
Embryo research “barbaric”, says Irish biotechnologist
However sceptical scientists may be about the ethics of using embryonic stem cells (ESCs) or about their therapeutic potential, few oppose the right of other...
Sex selection increasing in Sydney
Couples are paying up to A$13,000 to select the sex of their child at IVF clinics in Sydney, according to the Sydney Morning Herald. The...
Maverick scientist creates cow-human hybrids
Despite venomous quarrels, bitter hostility and mutual incomprehension amongst the doctors, lawyers, scientists and philosophers who wrangle about bioethics, there is one thing on which...
The fate of surplus embryos: thawed out, burnt up and prayed over
With no regulation to determine what US IVF clinics should do with their surplus embryos, clinics have come up with an astonishing array of solutions,...
IN BRIEF: euthanasia; Bill Gates; medical tourism; unsafe water
French health minister Philippe Douste-Blazy wants to bring a simmering debate on euthanasia to a boil. In an interview with Le Figaro, Douste-Blazy, a cardiologist,...