Top Biopolitical Times blog posts of 2009
Once again, the bloggers at Biopolitical Times and other CGS staff were polled for our favorite posts of the closing year. In no particular order:
Phantom of Heilbronn Revealed!
Contamination of forensic genetic samples led German police on a 15-year wild goose chase.
Brain Drugs
Controversy over "cognitive-enhancement" drugs is heating up
Libertarians Diss Democracy
Transhumanists put their disdain for democracy in writing. (See also: Transhumanist libertarian: Still against democracy):
"Racial alchemy" - for real?
Until now, hypothetical discussions of embryo screening for eye and skin color have seemed distant:
Patriotic Puppies -- and a Prize!
Another pet-cloning company emerges, with the same principals and the same gimmicks.
Enhancement: From Steroids to Skin Tone
Sammy Sosa shocked many a few weeks ago by appearing at the Latin Grammys with dramatically lighter skin:
Michael Jackson, cloning, and assisted reproduction: The trivial and the troubling
Michael Jackson was "obsessed" with cloning himself, and used assisted reproduction to produce three children "crafted to be 'white' enough to match [his] artfully devised if pathetically alienated image of himself.":
23andMe Targets Mommies-to-Be
The personal genomics company's new target is pregnant women. Are early-stage fetuses next? (See also: Genotyping Children and Kiddie Gene Testing in China)