Substantial economic growth in the psychedelic drugs market has drawn interest from corporations and start-ups. While this may accelerate research, it also sparks concerns about conflicts of interest.
People in the Living Museum of the Ju/’hoansi San, Grashoek, Namibia.
Oleksandr Rupeta/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Translation involves more than just transferring words from one language to another. Better translations of study materials can improve both the diversity of study participants and research results.
As well as the important ethical reasons for minimising animal use in research, the reality is sometimes animals just aren’t that good at predicting human responses.
A facial reconstruction of one of the Sutherland Nine, a woman named Saartje.
Reconstruction by Dr Kathryn Smith/Professor Caroline Wilkinson
Hopefully more curators and custodians of repositories of human skeletal remains will attempt to redress some of the wrongs of the past.
A few days after successful fertilization, an embryo becomes a rapidly dividing ball of cells called a blastocyst.
Juan Gaertner/Science Photo Library via Getty Images
Scientists can create viable eggs from two male mice. In the wake of CRISPR controversies and restrictive abortion laws, two experts start a dialogue on ethical research in reproductive biology.
Participants in biobank studies are often asked for broad consent to use their data.
Science Photo Library - TEK IMAGE/Brand X Pictures via Getty Images
Biobanks collect and store large amounts of data that researchers use to conduct a wide range of studies. Making sure participants understand what they’re getting into can help build trust in science.
A casual stroll on the beach can leave enough intact DNA behind to extract identifiable information.
Comezora/Moment via Getty Images
Environmental DNA provides a wealth of information for conservationists, archaeologists and forensic scientists. But the unintentional pickup of human genetic information raises ethical questions.
Pausing AI development will give our governments and culture time to catch up with and steer the rush of new technology.
DNA editing has the capacity to treat many diseases, but how to do this safely and equitably remains unclear.
KTSDESIGN/Science Photo Library via Getty Images
André O. Hudson, Rochester Institute of Technology and Gary Skuse, Rochester Institute of Technology
Following the controversial births of the first gene-edited babies, a major focus of the Third International Summit on Human Genome Editing was responsible use of CRISPR.
Although there are rules that govern animal research, they don’t answer one important question: when are the gains from research enough to justify the harms it may inflict?
Animal research’s benefits are clear – but public awareness of what it involves is not.
Javier Pierini/DigitalVision via Getty Images
Guidelines and regulations weigh the medical and health benefits of animal research with researchers’ ability to ensure humane care of their subjects from start to finish.
Genetic research is big business and has yielded life-saving treatments. But experts are warning of caution about ‘gain of function’ research that has the pandemic potential.
Thousands of ancient genomes have been sequenced to date. A Nobel Prize highlights tremendous opportunities for aDNA, as well as challenges related to rapid growth, equity and misinformation.
Research comes with risks, so participants must be protected and supported as much as possible.
bangoland/Shutterstock
Existing genetic data and sequencing tools are overwhelmingly based on people of European ancestry, which excludes much of the rich genetic variation of the world.
Researchers need to be assessed on every aspect of their work, no matter where it takes place.
Photo by marlenefrancia/Shutterstock
The South African Khoe-San communities are no strangers to exploitative research. One research team is trying to provide genetic ancestry results to community members. But they still face many challenges.