Ancient Native American remains spark debate
How should the remains of our remote ancestors be disposed of? artefacts from the Clovis culture The sequencing of DNA from a 2-year-old boy who...
Final triplet arrives five years later
From eight embryos come two boys in 2008 and a girl in 2013.More adventures in artificial reproduction. A British woman has given birth to her...
Brain-dead Canadian woman gives birth
More than six weeks after she suffered a devastating brain haemorrhage, Robyn Benson gave birth to a son. A brain-dead woman in British Columbia has...
New STAP stem cells questioned
After the high tide of enthusiasm comes the ebb tide of scepticism. After the high tide of enthusiasm comes the ebb tide of scepticism. The...
FDA to study “three-parent embryos”
Will it open the door to eugenics through genetic engineering? On February 25 and 26 the US Food and Drug Administration will discuss the possibility...
Belgian lower house passes child euthanasia bill
Supporters claim that the measure is safe and that kids can give informed consent A bill permitting euthanasia for children has passed the lower house...
Which part of “legal, safe and rare” don’t you agree with?
This week's news that the abortion rate in the US has fallen to its lowest level in 40 years – since Roe v. Wade –...
UK releases report on animals in research
The government has refused to cap the number of experiments, but affirms its commitment to welfare. The UK government has reaffirmed its commitment to decreasing...
We must stand firm on brain-death standard, says NEJM
Two controversies over brain dead women should not weaken a united front on brain death, say bioethicists. Two recent controversies over “brain-dead” patients have obviously...
Child euthanasia law expected this week in Belgium
But the bill has been condemned by members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. Note: an earlier edition of BioEdge misrepresented a...
Synthetic gametes could enable homosexuals to have children
The sooner the better, contends an American bioethicist. With stem cell technology constantly advancing, the dream of artificial (or synthetic) gametes comes ever closer. Last...
Evidence-based medicine comes under attack
UK critics claim that it is not transparent and tainted by commercial interests. In the eyes of doctors and the public, evidence-based medicine is the...