Neuroscience comes under fire from British philosopher
Roger Scruton puts a blowtorch to neuroscience. The siren song of science can be hard to resist. Quantifying, graphing and imaging fields of knowledge which...
Sperm donors should all be identified, says Victorian committee
The Australian state of Victoria, the first in the world to pass a law on assisted reproduction, may pass retrospective legislation to give all donor-conceived...
Vatican cancels high-level stem cell conference
It is no secret that the Vatican and most researchers on human embryonic stem cells do not see eye to eye on much more than...
Donation after cardiac death: controversies with a controversy
There are few areas in bioethics which require more philosophical subtlety than determining when death happens in organ donation. But an NPR feature this week...
Former V-P gets new heart
Former US vice president Dick Cheney received a new heart recently. The operation sparked speculation that he had jumped the queue. Former US vice president...
Oregon releases assisted suicide stats
Oregon’s public health division has released statistics on deaths under its physician-assisted suicide (PAS) legislation for 2011.Oregon’s public health division has released statistics on deaths...
Quebec could legalise euthanasia
A parliamentary committee in Quebec has recommended the legalisation of euthanasia with strict safeguards. Its report, “Mourir dans la dignité” (Dying With Dignity), contends that...
Is free will a myth or the foundation of law and order?
Some recent research in psychology suggests that when people disbelieve in free will, they are more inclined to act in antisocial ways. The Neuroskeptic blog...
Bengladeshi organ trafficking revealed
A Michigan State University anthropologist from Bangladesh has published the first in-depth study describing the often horrific experiences of poor people who were victims of...
Neuroscientists face ethical dilemmas over military use
American neuroscientists should be worried about how their research will be used by the US military, according to an article in PLoS Biology (March 20)...
Are brain scans telling the truth?
Functional magnetic resonance image scans have been used as lie detectors which have been used in murder trials as well as testing whether conservatives are...
“Ashley treatment” spreading as solution for disabled
A controversial solution for caring for severely intellectually and physically disabled children is quietly spreading, according to the Guardian (UK).A controversial solution for caring for...