Iran is becoming a cosmetic surgery powerhouse
A steep rise in cosmetic surgery in Iran is worrying doctors. “The authentic Iranian face is being distorted through invasive procedures,” Babak Nikoumaram, chair of...
Is ‘heightism’ the last socially acceptable prejudice?
You may remember Robert Reich, Secretary of Labor from 1993 to 1997 in the cabinet of President Bill Clinton. His distinguished career included being a Rhodes Scholar,...
Should Singapore embrace human enhancement via germline genome editing?
Recent years have witnessed the emergence of a “New Eugenics” movement by highly-educated technopreneurs and white-collar professionals in Western countries, who believe that it is...
Waste not, want not: Serbian surgeon wants to perform genitalia swaps in New York hospital
Urologist Miroslav Djordjevic, one of the world’s leading sex-reassignment surgeons, has a nightmare and a dream when he thinks about the estimated 1.5 million transgender...
Second recipient of genetically modified pig heart transplant dies
In a setback for the field of xenotransplantation, Lawrence Faucette, the second person in the world to receive a genetically modified pig heart transplant, died...
Cosmetic surgery boosts some people’s mental health – but for others it makes problems worse
Demand for cosmetic procedures is higher than ever. From breast augmentations to “tweakments” such as lip fillers and Botox, more and more people around the...
Skin lightening creams are a national health emergency, say authorities in Nigeria and Ghana
In West Africa a lighter skin tone is perceived as a gateway to better social and economic prospects. Unsurprisingly, then, skin lightening has become a...
Canada has a dark past as a champion of eugenics for the disabled
Canada is acquiring a reputation for being the most progressive place on the planet for euthanasia. An article in the National Post by Tristin Hopper...
Extreme Barbie: cosmetic surgery to the max
Dolly and Daisy Simpson, 26-year-old twins from the English town of from Stockton-on-Tees are living, breathing Barbie dolls. If you are searching for gender stereotyping,...
‘Barbie’ is more than a film about Barbie
Barbie, which has grossed about US$1.2 billion worldwide, has provoked a surprising amount of commentary. Director Greta Gerwig has created a film whose pink, plastic,...
A boost for cryonics? After 46,000 years in Siberian permafrost, nematodes can revive
In a ground-breaking discovery published in the peer-reviewed journal PLOS Genetics, scientists have found that tiny roundworms, known as nematodes, can survive in a state...
Driven mad by eugenics: a true crime drama from Spain
Eugenics with assisted reproduction technology is not new. Francis Galton, Charles Darwin’s cousin, devised schemes for making higher and lower humans without the assistance of...