Until now, analysis of the environment has been the domain of social scientists, who have elaborated the correlations between environment and health or behaviour — for example, that a deprived upbringing increases the risk of deviant behaviours in adulthood. Now, biologists are starting to render visible how one aspect of the environment — stress — leaves marks on the body…
A new IVF technique being debated in England uses three genetic parents to create an embryo. This procedure helps avoid possible mitochondrial disease, but some caution that it’s too soon to take such a radical new approach. Rueters has the story , HuffPost Live has a video
ISG Director Dr. Eric Vilain writes an article for the NYTimes addressing gender testing for athletes. He writes, “When men are more talented than others, it is an expression of the beauty of sports. But when women outcompete others, suspicions about eligibility and arguments for a level playing field often arise. Sports officials are faced with an impossible quandary: a…
Mark Leach, J.D., published an article called “My Daughter’s Paradoxical Genes” detailing the seemingly paradoxical case of the ethical considerations arising from his daughter Juliet’s genes. Specifically, he examines the moral paradox of medical guidelines for Juliet’s two genetic conditions of Trisomy 21 and Double X: for one, prenatal testing is considered an ethical obligation and for the other prenatal…
In a 2-1 decision, a panel of the U.S. court of appeals in Washington overturned a judge’s order that would have blocked federal financing of stem cell research. The judges ruled that opponents are not likely to succeed in their lawsuit to stop the government funding. The panel reversed an opinion issued last August by U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth,…
ISG Assistant Professor Dr. Stefan Timmermans has published a paper with Dr. Mara Buchbinder entitled “Patients-in-Waiting: Living between Sickness and Health in the Genomics Era” in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior. Abstract: What are the social consequences of the recent expansion of newborn screening in the United States? The adoption of new screening technologies has generated diagnostic uncertainty about the…