Ethical review is often seen as a barrier to research and innovation within universities, but it can be constructive. More attention should be paid to the potential benefits of the process.
Probes that can transmit electricity inside the skull raise questions about personal autonomy and responsibility.
Hellerhoff
Where does responsibility lie if a person acts under the influence of their brain implant? As neurotechnologies advance, a neuroethicist and a legal expert write that now’s the time to hash it out.
Men ask more questions then women in academic conferences and are more visible. Roads Academy Masterclass, Warwick University, November 2010.
HA1-000602/Flickr
Academia is not immune to gender bias. One way to see this in action is to observe who asks questions during conferences – and men appear to ask more than women.
A shepherd with his flock in the Netherlands.
Peter Nicolai
Most Americans identify as animal lovers and support either full or partial legal rights for animals.
Jakarta’s traffic system is one of many facets of the city that could be improved by smart cities technologies, but at what cost?
Vasenka Photography/Flickr
Governments are using Big Data to design improvements and upgrades of cities. But ethical questions need to be considered, lest we end up jeopardising citizens’ privacy or deepen social inequalities.
Facebook’s algorithm is based on pleasing rather than challenging users.
Shutterstock
Canada has a clear choice. Either it embraces the potential of being a leader in responsible AI, or it risks legitimating a race to the bottom where ethics, inequity and justice are absent.
‘Biomusic’ technology collects autonomic nervous system signals, such as heart rate, through a wearable sensor and maps them to sound.
(Shutterstock)
Imagine a collaboratively-designed smartphone app that could provide cues to an autistic individual – about the emotional state of people they are communicating with.
Researchers funded by VW, Daimler and BMW are accused of testing diesel fumes on monkeys and humans.
An Afghanistan national police officer helps a U.S. Army lieutenant, June 14, 2007. Can honour be restored in today’s international conflicts?
Michael Bracken/US Army/Flickr
Imagine being one of the last few people alive. Would that make it ok to destroy the natural world? This thought experiment reveals the true value of nature, beyond the benefits to humans.
From biotech to climate change, advances in technology raise significant moral questions. To engage responsibly, our next generation of scientists need training in the arts and ethics.
(Shutterstock)
Universities must train scientists to engage with the ethics of emerging technologies, rather than functioning as cogs in the engine of economic development. Integrating the arts into STEM can help.
Institutional betrayal can lead to real psychological and physical harm.
Aimorn1992/shutterstock.com
Has your doctor ever taken a photo of your medical condition? It’s really useful to aid diagnosis, but we still don’t have the right legislation to ensure legal and ethical protections.
We give over control of our lives every day and trust other humans to make ethical decisions. But soon robots will make these decisions for us. Will they be ethical or is it just a numbers game?
Ella Fitzgerald performing in Switzerland in 1967.
EPA/GRUNDER
Visiting Professor in Biomedical Ethics, Murdoch Children's Research Institute; Distinguished Visiting Professor in Law, University of Melbourne; Uehiro Chair in Practical Ethics, University of Oxford
Professor of Bioethics & Medicine, Sydney Health Ethics, Haematologist/BMT Physician, Royal North Shore Hospital and Director, Praxis Australia, University of Sydney