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Articles on Science ethics

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Human evolution is typically depicted with a progressive whitening of the skin, despite a lack of evidence to support it. Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov/Wikimedia Commons

Racist and sexist depictions of human evolution still permeate science, education and popular culture today

From Aristotle to Darwin, inaccurate and biased narratives in science not only reproduce these biases in future generations but also perpetuate the discrimination they are used to justify.
Dr Sarah Mothulatshipi and Topo Mpho Çhengeta in Gweta, Botswana exchanging knowledge with the local community about long term environmental change and stone age archaeology in the area. Sallie Burrough

Why I’m righting the wrongs of my early research and sharing my scientific data with local communities 

Scientists join their profession with the hope their research will benefit humanity. But many still inadvertently exploit local collaborators or communities as cheap labour.
What’s the best way to put the brakes on current research? Okrasyuk/Shutterstock.com

A case against a moratorium on germline gene editing

Scientists and ethicists have called for a five-year moratorium on editing human genes that will pass on to future generations. Yes, society needs to figure out how to proceed – but is this the best way?
As AI is deployed in society, there is an impact that can be positive or negative. The future is in our hands. Shutterstock

The Montréal Declaration: Why we must develop AI responsibly

The Montréal Declaration calls for the responsible development of artificial intelligence. A world expert explains why scientists must choose how their expertise will benefit society.

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