Articles and Commentary

CRISPR, the powerful gene editing technique that enables the precise modification of genes, is revolutionizing medicine and biotechnology. It can be used to alter embryonic DNA, delay the aging process, treat cancer, and other diseases. 

But the high costs and...

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has, for the first time, granted permission to a company to provide limited health information directly to consumers, bypassing the need for doctors or genetic counselors.

The company in question is 23andMe, a...

Fifty years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down state laws banning interracial marriage, but the issues involved in the case extended beyond its current popular understanding as a tribute to romance.

Interracial marriage is at a historic high. According...

As of this year, the creation of genetically engineered and enhanced future human beings is no longer a scientific hypothetical. It is a social justice challenge.

Human germline modification - that is, altering the genes of gametes or early-stage embryos...

News broke this week that the first “three-parent” baby had been born. But the untested and controversial nature of the procedure that created the child, and the end run around public policy that it entailed, raise many more questions than...

Pro: Research on Gene Editing in Humans Must Continue

By John Harris

In February of this year, the Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority in the United Kingdom approved a request by the Francis Crick Institute in London to modify human...

With the ubiquitous ways we apply our knowledge of genetics today—in crop seeds, medicine, space—it’s hard to believe the story of the modern gene did not emerge until the mid-1800s. The vast implications of this discovery about how living...