@geneticsandsociety.bsky.social
The Danish research group at the center of the controversial US government-funded Hepatitis B study in Guinea-Bissau has been accused of questionable research practices in several past studies.
www.science.org/cont...
www.science.org/cont...
February 19, 2026 at 8:51 PM
The Danish research group at the center of the controversial US government-funded Hepatitis B study in Guinea-Bissau has been accused of questionable research practices in several past studies.
www.science.org/cont...
www.science.org/cont...
Medical care in the early 20th century U.S. was entangled with the eugenics movement. Its biases still linger in health care, hospital structures, and medical education. Grappling with this history and addressing legacies of eugenics can help prevent continued harms.
Medical Education and the Harm of ‘Goodly Heritage’ | Los Angeles Review of Books
In the 12th essay of the Legacies of Eugenics series, three researchers describe how eugenic ideas linger in the institutions and practices of contemporary healthcare.
lareviewofbooks.org
February 19, 2026 at 5:11 PM
Medical care in the early 20th century U.S. was entangled with the eugenics movement. Its biases still linger in health care, hospital structures, and medical education. Grappling with this history and addressing legacies of eugenics can help prevent continued harms.
Increasing collection and storage of genetic data has also brought increased risk of said data being misused. 1/2
February 18, 2026 at 9:55 PM
Increasing collection and storage of genetic data has also brought increased risk of said data being misused. 1/2
Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime performance demonstrates how art and music can resist damaging and dehumanizing myths of eugenics, which have had a resurgence during the Trump administration and have resulted in the targeting of migrants, disabled people, and people of color.
At the Super Bowl, Bad Bunny's Defiant Joy Beat Trump's Knockoff Eugenics | Common Dreams
Understanding America's eugenic history helps us see the present more clearly, and why the vibrant Puerto Rican presence on America's biggest stage was an act of resistance.
www.commondreams.org
February 18, 2026 at 6:15 PM
Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime performance demonstrates how art and music can resist damaging and dehumanizing myths of eugenics, which have had a resurgence during the Trump administration and have resulted in the targeting of migrants, disabled people, and people of color.
The EPA will no longer calculate the economic benefits of lives saved when setting limits on fine particulate matter and ozone, arguably two of the deadliest air pollutants. It will continue counting costs to industry.
The EPA just erased a century of public health progress
Former Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Dean Michelle A. Williams on the EPA’s incorrect and morally wrong decision.
www.statnews.com
February 17, 2026 at 10:43 PM
The EPA will no longer calculate the economic benefits of lives saved when setting limits on fine particulate matter and ozone, arguably two of the deadliest air pollutants. It will continue counting costs to industry.
In a recent high-profile surrogacy case, a CA couple had over 20 children via surrogacy and was then accused of child abuse and neglect. Surrogates were left without information and in some cases cared for the child they carried when the intended parents did not come to pick up the child. 1/3
The Babies Kept in a Mysterious Los Angeles Mansion
A wealthy couple obtained dozens of children through surrogates. Did they want a family, or something else?
www.newyorker.com
February 17, 2026 at 7:17 PM
In a recent high-profile surrogacy case, a CA couple had over 20 children via surrogacy and was then accused of child abuse and neglect. Surrogates were left without information and in some cases cared for the child they carried when the intended parents did not come to pick up the child. 1/3
Amid increasing embrace of pronatalism, critics are arguing for approaches that acknowledge the ambivalence of reproduction and focus on creating conditions in which relationships can be formed and sustained without systematically sacrificing certain bodies or groups.”
To Give Birth or Not to Give Birth
Global fertility decline has made reproduction a site of reactionary family policies and moralized childlessness. But a healthy society would let people choose to have children or not without turning that choice into a moral adjudication.
jacobin.com
January 29, 2026 at 8:52 PM
Amid increasing embrace of pronatalism, critics are arguing for approaches that acknowledge the ambivalence of reproduction and focus on creating conditions in which relationships can be formed and sustained without systematically sacrificing certain bodies or groups.”
The Trump administration claims to be “deregulating” AI, but in fact, it’s advancing a hyper-regulatory regime that involves greater reliance on executive discretion than on deliberative, public processes. 1/2
January 29, 2026 at 5:28 PM
The Trump administration claims to be “deregulating” AI, but in fact, it’s advancing a hyper-regulatory regime that involves greater reliance on executive discretion than on deliberative, public processes. 1/2
Uruguay has regulated surrogacy since 2013, but it was more than 10 years before the country saw its first surrogacy arrangement. This initial case showed gaps in regulation. 1/2
January 28, 2026 at 6:12 PM
Uruguay has regulated surrogacy since 2013, but it was more than 10 years before the country saw its first surrogacy arrangement. This initial case showed gaps in regulation. 1/2
A lack of regulations governing fertility clinics in the U.S. can result in emotionally devastating and logistically complex mixups. 1/2
January 27, 2026 at 10:42 PM
A lack of regulations governing fertility clinics in the U.S. can result in emotionally devastating and logistically complex mixups. 1/2
Scientists, ethicists, patient advocates, and journalists who recently met to discuss regulations about the use of brain organoids in research emphasized the need for research guidelines to avoid harm to patients, animals, and the public.
www.npr.org/sections...
www.npr.org/sections...
January 27, 2026 at 4:10 PM
Scientists, ethicists, patient advocates, and journalists who recently met to discuss regulations about the use of brain organoids in research emphasized the need for research guidelines to avoid harm to patients, animals, and the public.
www.npr.org/sections...
www.npr.org/sections...
The FDA gets almost half its budget funded by the industries it regulates, which makes the agency vulnerable to executive overreach and corporate capture. Political and industry pressures affect which drugs the FDA approves, which in turn affects consumers.
Worst of Both Worlds: FDA’s Funding Structure, Corporate Capture, and Political Interference - Petrie-Flom Center
The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has a unique funding structure among federal scientific and health agencies. The industries it regulates fund nearly half of its budget. The agency charges companies a user fee for each application for products requiring FDA approval like prescription drugs and medical devices.
petrieflom.law.harvard.edu
January 26, 2026 at 9:41 PM
The FDA gets almost half its budget funded by the industries it regulates, which makes the agency vulnerable to executive overreach and corporate capture. Political and industry pressures affect which drugs the FDA approves, which in turn affects consumers.
The Trump administration’s cuts to NIH have left a “vacuum” in communications about genetics research and the implications of new technologies, such as polygenic risk scoring and embryo selection, amidst a resurgence of eugenic ideas in U.S. politics and culture.
As dangerous eugenic ideas spread, NIH falls silent
Federal research agencies are pulling back from fostering public discussions about science after the hollowing out of government communications offices.
www.statnews.com
January 26, 2026 at 5:05 PM
The Trump administration’s cuts to NIH have left a “vacuum” in communications about genetics research and the implications of new technologies, such as polygenic risk scoring and embryo selection, amidst a resurgence of eugenic ideas in U.S. politics and culture.
Genetic variants believed to cause blindness in nearly everyone who carries them actually lead to vision loss less than 30% of the time. The results call into question theories about how genetic mutations are inherited and cause disease in future generations.
These genes were thought to lead to blindness 100% of the time. They don't.
New research finds that retinal diseases thought to map one-to-one to genetic mutations are more complicated than that.
www.livescience.com
January 23, 2026 at 10:44 PM
Genetic variants believed to cause blindness in nearly everyone who carries them actually lead to vision loss less than 30% of the time. The results call into question theories about how genetic mutations are inherited and cause disease in future generations.
A heart attack patient was the first person to be treated in a clinical trial using an experimental gene therapy to treat grafted vessels. Researchers hope to use this approach to strengthen blood vessels after coronary bypass surgery.
First patient treated with gene therapy to improve heart bypasses | PET
A heart attack patient has been treated with a gene therapy, which aims to strengthen blood vessels after coronary bypass surgery...
www.progress.org.uk
January 23, 2026 at 3:12 PM
A heart attack patient was the first person to be treated in a clinical trial using an experimental gene therapy to treat grafted vessels. Researchers hope to use this approach to strengthen blood vessels after coronary bypass surgery.
The agenda of techno-optimist pronatalists bears a striking resemblance to the 20th century eugenics movement and the Better Babies contests that were a part of it. 1/2
January 22, 2026 at 8:56 PM
The agenda of techno-optimist pronatalists bears a striking resemblance to the 20th century eugenics movement and the Better Babies contests that were a part of it. 1/2
A US-funded study that would have withheld vaccines proven to prevent hepatitis B from some infants in Guinea-Bissau, which has a high hepatitis B disease burden, has been canceled after intense criticism.
Controversial US study on hepatitis B vaccines in Africa ‘cancelled’
$1.6m project drew outrage over ethical questions about withholding vaccines proven to prevent disease
www.theguardian.com
January 22, 2026 at 5:15 PM
A US-funded study that would have withheld vaccines proven to prevent hepatitis B from some infants in Guinea-Bissau, which has a high hepatitis B disease burden, has been canceled after intense criticism.
Today at 10:30 am ET / 7:30 am PT, CGS’ Katie Hasson joins the panel “Eugenics, Biotechnology, and Bioethics” during the @17instituto.bsky.social XL International Colloquium: “Against ‘Perfection’: Towards a Non-Eugenic Future” in Mexico City. Stream it here: www.youtube.com/channel/UCJY...
17, Instituto de Estudios Críticos
Situado en el cruce de las sendas de la universidad, la cultura no académica y el psicoanálisis, 17, Instituto de Estudios Críticos es un espacio de escritura: ámbito de la construcción y desconstrucc...
www.youtube.com
January 22, 2026 at 2:23 PM
Today at 10:30 am ET / 7:30 am PT, CGS’ Katie Hasson joins the panel “Eugenics, Biotechnology, and Bioethics” during the @17instituto.bsky.social XL International Colloquium: “Against ‘Perfection’: Towards a Non-Eugenic Future” in Mexico City. Stream it here: www.youtube.com/channel/UCJY...
A modified CRISPR technique, epigenetic editing, avoids cutting DNA and instead targets chemical markers attached to genes to restore gene activity without altering underlying DNA. Researchers are testing the technique for sickle cell disease therapies and others.
This CRISPR breakthrough turns genes on without cutting DNA
A new CRISPR breakthrough shows scientists can turn genes back on without cutting DNA, by removing chemical tags that act like molecular anchors. The work confirms these tags actively silence genes, settling a long-running scientific debate. This gentler form of gene editing could offer a safer way to treat Sickle Cell disease by reactivating a fetal blood gene. Researchers say it opens the door to powerful therapies with fewer unintended side effects.
www.sciencedaily.com
January 21, 2026 at 9:37 PM
A modified CRISPR technique, epigenetic editing, avoids cutting DNA and instead targets chemical markers attached to genes to restore gene activity without altering underlying DNA. Researchers are testing the technique for sickle cell disease therapies and others.
Telegram founder and billionaire Pavel Durov has said he has over 100 children around the world born from sperm he donated. He is advertising his sperm as “free” and has said that his biological children will eventually get a share of his estate.
www.wsj.com/world/pa...
www.wsj.com/world/pa...
January 21, 2026 at 6:14 PM
Telegram founder and billionaire Pavel Durov has said he has over 100 children around the world born from sperm he donated. He is advertising his sperm as “free” and has said that his biological children will eventually get a share of his estate.
www.wsj.com/world/pa...
www.wsj.com/world/pa...
Jennifer Doudna and Fyodur Urnov have launched a new startup, Aurora Therapeutics, to develop gene therapies for phenylketonuria. By testing multiple disease-causing mutations initially and adding rarer variants later, they hope to advance more quickly through FDA review .
JPM26, Day 2: Novartis pays $50M cash for China biotech program; AZ acquires AI partner
After a busy first day featuring headlines from a who's who of leading biopharma companies, the J.P. | The J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference is rolling on Tuesday with many more conference-related events on the docket, including the start of Fierce JPM Week. Our reporters and editors are on the ground in San Francisco and will keep you updated with all the latest.
www.fiercebiotech.com
January 20, 2026 at 10:54 PM
Jennifer Doudna and Fyodur Urnov have launched a new startup, Aurora Therapeutics, to develop gene therapies for phenylketonuria. By testing multiple disease-causing mutations initially and adding rarer variants later, they hope to advance more quickly through FDA review .
Telegram founder and billionaire Pavel Durov has said he has over 100 children around the world born from sperm he donated. He is advertising his sperm as “free” and has said that his biological children will eventually get a share of his estate.
www.wsj.com/world/pa...
www.wsj.com/world/pa...
January 20, 2026 at 4:28 PM
Telegram founder and billionaire Pavel Durov has said he has over 100 children around the world born from sperm he donated. He is advertising his sperm as “free” and has said that his biological children will eventually get a share of his estate.
www.wsj.com/world/pa...
www.wsj.com/world/pa...
Surrogates face not only emotional and physical risks, but also financial risks if things go wrong. Without regulation, surrogates end up being responsible for medical bills and legal fees that intended parents or surrogacy agencies were supposed to pay.
www.wsj.com/us-news/...
www.wsj.com/us-news/...
January 19, 2026 at 9:33 PM
Surrogates face not only emotional and physical risks, but also financial risks if things go wrong. Without regulation, surrogates end up being responsible for medical bills and legal fees that intended parents or surrogacy agencies were supposed to pay.
www.wsj.com/us-news/...
www.wsj.com/us-news/...
Genetic engineering seemed like it might be leading us closer to Gattaca’s genetic determinism dystopia, but epigenetic techniques and polygenic risk scores may more closely resemble the “developmental nudging” dystopia of Brave New World. 1/2
January 19, 2026 at 5:08 PM
Genetic engineering seemed like it might be leading us closer to Gattaca’s genetic determinism dystopia, but epigenetic techniques and polygenic risk scores may more closely resemble the “developmental nudging” dystopia of Brave New World. 1/2
Scientists claim to have “rejuvenated” human eggs by giving them a microinjection of a protein that has been found to decline with age and affect egg quality. Researchers think that the technique could improve IVF success rates for older women.
Human eggs ‘rejuvenated’ in an advance that could boost IVF success rates
Exclusive: Research suggests supplementing eggs with a key protein reduces age-related defects, raising hopes of improved IVF for older women
www.theguardian.com
January 16, 2026 at 10:55 PM
Scientists claim to have “rejuvenated” human eggs by giving them a microinjection of a protein that has been found to decline with age and affect egg quality. Researchers think that the technique could improve IVF success rates for older women.