A powerful gene-editing tool called Crispr-Cas9, which this month nabbed the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for two female scientists, can cause serious side effects in the cells of human embryos, prompting them to discard large chunks of their genetic material, a new study has found. Administered to cells to repair a mutation that can cause… Read More »
By Michael Le Page ZEPHYR/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY As our understanding of genetics grows, so does the potential for people to use it to have babies with particular characteristics. In theory, DNA analysis could help prospective parents choose which IVF embryos to implant on the basis of characteristics like intelligence. But now a study estimates that… Read More »
Stem cells (so-called “master cells”) are unique and important in the body because they can do almost anything, and scientists have only begun to discover their potential. That’s why researchers’ use of them has created controversy, attracting the attention of scientists, policymakers, and bioethicists across the globe. Stem cells can transform into any of the… Read More »
How will screening for intelligence affect parents’ decisions?ERproductions Ltd/Getty By Clare Wilson THE prospect of creating intelligent designer babies has been the subject of ethical debate for decades, but we have lacked the ability to actually do it. That may now change, thanks to a new method of testing an embryo’s genes that could soon… Read More »