Bioethics Forum EssayBeing at Two with Nature and MosquitoesWhen Woody Allen said he was “at two with nature,” perhaps he had in mind insects that sting or bite. Who can argue with that, and who hasn’t taken a...Read Being at Two with Nature and MosquitoesBioethics Forum EssayChallenging Evolution?We have long had the ability, we humans, to work outside the bounds of evolution. Dairy cattle, maize, and all sorts of dog breeds attest to that. It is unlikely...Read Challenging Evolution?Bioethics Forum EssayAre Arguments about GMO Safety Really About Something Else?The scientific consensus that food containing genetically modified organisms is safe seems ever stronger, yet the social controversy about GMOs seems only to grow as well. “Unhealthy Fixation,” a long article published...Read Are Arguments about GMO Safety Really About Something Else?Bioethics Forum EssayOn a Radioactive Pig and Pope Francis“If you look through the red-tinted glass, you will see the radioactive pig,” said the director of animal laboratories at my university–let’s call her Susan–near the start of my tour...Read On a Radioactive Pig and Pope FrancisBioethics Forum EssayNew in Skin Care: Natural and GMOAt the end of April, the biotech firm Amyris announced that it was launching its own line of skin emollient under the brand name Biossance. The product is based on...Read New in Skin Care: Natural and GMOBioethics Forum EssaySacred versus Synthetic? Nature Preservationism and BiotechnologyOne of the long-term contributions of Earth Day is that it offers a regular, semi-official reminder that a sense of the sacred is a vital part of environmentalism. The spirit...Read Sacred versus Synthetic? Nature Preservationism and BiotechnologyBioethics Forum EssayA Moratorium on Gene Editing?An article in the New York Times last week suggests that the genetic engineering of humans is only just around the corner. A recently developed gene editing tool known as...Read A Moratorium on Gene Editing?Bioethics Forum EssayGM Mosquitoes: Risks and EmotionsFor several years, a British company called Oxitec has been proposing a strategy for controlling a species of mosquito, Aedes aegypti, that humans have accidentally carried from Africa to other...Read GM Mosquitoes: Risks and EmotionsBioethics Forum EssayAltering Nature to Preserve ItPerhaps the biggest challenge in talking about something like de-extinction is simply being clear on what it is you’re really talking about. Emerging technologies can be surrounded with so much...Read Altering Nature to Preserve ItBioethics Forum EssayOHRP’s Dangerous Draft GuidanceIn October, the federal Office for Human Research Protections issued a “Draft Guidance on Disclosing Reasonably Foreseeable Risks in Research Evaluating Standards of Care.” It follows the controversy that erupted in 2013...Read OHRP’s Dangerous Draft Guidance