Australia’s cosmetic surgery industry under attack in the media
The multi-billion dollar cosmetic surgery industry in Australia has come under attack from the media. A series of investigations by The Age, Four Corners and...
Israeli scientists create ‘synthetic’ mouse embryos
Israeli scientists have created the world’s first “synthetic embryos”. They used mouse stem cells to create embryos, nurtured them in an artificial “womb”, and grew...
Can we please define ‘eugenics’ before criticizing it?
Robert Reich, a leading economist and secretary of labor in the Clinton administration, has denounced the “eugenic” policies of Viktor Orban. The Hungarian Prime Minister...
Whatever happened to transhumanism?
In 2004 the prominent political scientist Francis Fukuyama described transhumanism as “the world’s most dangerous idea”. In 2011 transhumanism was featured on the cover of...
Is human germline editing compatible with human dignity?
Human germline editing, whether it is for health reasons or for the more ambitious project of Transhumanism, is intensely controversial. International bioethics agreements ban or...
Another step forward towards artificial gametes
Have scientists moved a step closer to in vitro gametogenesis – creating human embryos from artificial eggs and sperm? In a paper published earlier this...
Is Singapore ready for mass production of eggs and sperm from stem cells?
Scientists have generated artificial lab-grown sperm and eggs from rats and mice, which have gone on to successfully produced healthy offspring, a procedure known as...
Is euthanasia becoming a runaway train in Canada?
Multiple Chemical Sensitivities (MCS) is a syndrome attributed to patients who complain of headaches, rashes, depression and dizziness and attribute them to chemicals in the...
Will brainwashing make a comeback?
Imagine this scenario: the American military captures a fanatical soldier of the Islamic State who has been responsible for the deaths of several Americans. What...
Transhumanism under the microscope
Transhumanism is – to put it mildly – controversial. But its futuristic ideas are compelling and intriguing. Some of its advocates (like Elon Musk) are...
The unknown history of cosmetic surgery in prisons
Cosmetic surgery comes with ethical baggage. People are sometimes persuaded to have unnecessary procedures. The “specialists” are not not specialists, sometimes not even doctors. It...
When should scientists proceed with heritable genetic engineering?
When should scientists proceed with heritable genetic engineering? Dr He Jiankui, of China, chose the wrong time. In 2018 he announced that he had genetically...