CGS in the News

23andMe’s DNA database is up for sale. Who might want it, and what for?

By Anumita Kaur [cites CGS’ Katie Hasson], The Washington Post | 03.25.2025

Genetic information company 23andMe has said that it is headed to bankruptcy court, raising questions for what happens to the DNA shared by millions of people with the company via saliva test kits.

Sunday’s announcement clears the way for a new...

Genomics

The couple who want to make America procreate again

By Anne Branigin, The Washington Post [cites CGS' Marcy Darnovsky] | 02.04.2025

^{Photo by TeggorMindFish via Wikimedia Commons, licensed under

the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license}

It's a...

Genetic Selection

Should We Use Gene Editing to Create Super Babies?

By Staff [cites CGS' Katie Hasson], The New York Times Upfront | 02.17.2025

A young couple wants to have a baby, but they’re worried it’ll carry a disease that runs in the family...

Bioethics

The 'three-parent baby' fertility doctor needs to stop marketing the procedure, FDA says

By Rachel Becker, The Verge [cites Marcy Darnovsky] | 08.05.2017

On Friday, FDA sent him a letter notifying him of his violations

The doctor who created a genetically modified “three-parent...

Human Genetic Modification

An incomplete puzzle featuring an image of a double helix, with several pieces scattered around the puzzle.

Gene Editing for ‘Designer Babies’? Highly Unlikely, Scientists Say

By Pam Belluck, New York Times [cites Marcy Darnovsky] | 08.04.2017

Now that science is a big step closer to being able to fiddle with the genes of a human embryo...

Assisted Reproduction

Double helix figure that is diagonally positioned. Several base pairs are highlighted with different colors.

First human embryo editing experiment in U.S. ‘corrects’ gene for heart condition

By Ariana Eunjung Cha, Washington Post [cites Marcy Darnovsky] | 08.02.2017

Scientists have successfully edited the DNA of human embryos to erase a heritable heart condition that is known for causing sudden death...

Assisted Reproduction

Scientists Precisely Edit DNA In Human Embryos To Fix A Disease Gene

By Rob Stein, NPR [cites Marcy Darnovsky] | 08.02.2017

Scientists have been tinkering with the DNA in humans and other living things for decades. But one thing has long...

Human Genetic Modification

A human oocyte is held by a glass holding pipette (left). A beveled glass pipette containing an immobilized ejaculated spermatozoon is inserted through the zona pellucida and deep into the oolemma, creating a deep furrow. Once the membrane of the oocyte is penetrated, the sperm is deposited therein.

Scientists Are Shocked About How Easy It Is To Tweak Genes In Human Embryos

By Dan Vergano and Tom Chivers, BuzzFeed [cites Marcy Darnovsky] | 08.02.2017

Researchers have erased a genetic glitch that causes heart defects in dozens of human embryos with surprising success, fixing the...

Assisted Reproduction

A baby dressed in a shirt, diapers, and cap, floats mid-air.

A Future of Genetically Engineered Children Is Closer Than You’d Think

By Rowan Jacobsen, Mother Jones [cites Marcy Darnovsky] | 08.01.2017

Last week, US scientists edited a human embryo for the first time. That’s just the beginning.

The first step is...

Human Genetic Modification

Three boxes of 23andMe kits stand upright in a line. Two of the boxes have been blurred, and one of them is centrally focused.

FDA gives DTC genetic tests a partial restart

By Pete Shanks, Medical Laboratory Observer | 07.25.2017

The direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic testing industry has been around for just over a decade. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration...

Genomics

Abstract design of several double helices crossing over each other against a black background.

Is Gene Editing Out of Control?

By The Inquiry, BBC [features Marcy Darnovsky] | 07.16.2017

"This structure has novel features, which are of considerable biological interest." It was perhaps the greatest understatement of all time...

Human Genetic Modification