Is informed consent possible on the battlefield?
Bioethics is never far from the war in Iraq. This time, the centre of controversy is Colonel John Holcomb, the head of the US Army's...
Scientists need humility, says Harvard prof
In an essay in the leading journal Nature, a Harvard professor of science and technology has called upon scientists to be more humble. In the...
“Every month holds a miracle” — and cash
Although umbilical cord blood is a rich source of stem cells, debate rages over whether parents who store it in commercial stem cell banks are...
MIT stem cell scientist urges closer ties with Iran
Renowned MIT stem cell scientist Rudi Jaenisch believes that more scientific cooperation could lead to more understanding and less fanaticism and intolerance in the relationship...
Chinese neurosurgeons cash in on mental illness
Chinese neurosurgeons are treating mental illness with brain surgery, a practice which has practically disappeared in the West. According to the Wall Street Journal, doctors...
Mighty mice ready for Tour de France
Encouraging news for transhumanists who want to extend human lifespans to Methuselah levels: scientists at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, have genetically engineered...
A peep into the future of science
Sir Isaac Newton once marvelled at "the great ocean of truth [which] lay all undiscovered before me", but modern scientists will soon turn the ocean...
Living in ignorance of trial results
Thousands of patients who took place in clinical trials may never learn whether the drugs or devices were faulty, the New York Times says. Although...
Head and shoulders above other genome sequences
Just a bit of flaky news for genetics buffs: Proctor & Gamble has sequenced the complete genome for a fungus that causes dandruff. In an...
Lung patients denied intensive care in UK
Patients with chronic lung disease are being denied intensive care treatment because doctors are too pessimistic about their chances, research suggests.A British Medical Journal study...
Thou shalt not bear false witness
Most medical ethics issues are brain teasers, but occasionally they are just no brainers. Take this case brought before the UK's medical registration board, the...