Sarah Fecht
Mammoth DNA successfully resurrected, but cloning won’t happen anytime soon
A group of researchers are getting closer to bringing the extinct woolly mammoth back to life. Geneticist George Church’s lab ...
AMP v. Myriad Genetics: Do intellectual property protections really stifle innovation?
As the Supreme Court debates the patentability of human genes, the media argues about whether patents help or hinder genetic ...
DNA and the criminal justice system
Should police automatically collect DNA samples from crime suspects who have been arrested, but not convicted? Supporters say the measure ...
Pig born using new GM technique
A new "gene-editing" tool has allowed scientists to create a disease-resistant pig. Can the new technique help to overcome the ...
Happy birthday, Human Genome
In the 10 years since the completion of the Human Genome Project, genetic science has moved forward in leaps and ...
Can Syngenta help make open-source GMOs a reality?
In a new initiative, Syngenta will make its genetic engineering tools and GM plant varieties freely available for non-profit researchers ...
Monsanto v. Monarch butterflies
Monarch butterflies have been on a downward spiral for decades, and the most recent news stories report that monarch numbers ...
Neo-Eugenics: An evolutionary argument against mitochondrial replacement therapy
A new form of genetic therapy is not only unethical, but also impossible because of the mess that evolution has ...
Whole Foods, GMO labeling, and the illusion of transparency
Despite the claims of Whole Foods' CEO John Mackey, the store's new GMO labeling policy is likely to achieve exactly ...
Don’t be afraid of GM salmon
A New York Times opinion piece urges the FDA to approve AquaBounty's GM salmon, for the good of consumers as ...
Genetic engineering may help in mapping the human brain
With the completion of the Human Genome Project, biology’s next big challenge will be to map the human brain, report ...
Synthetic biology comes down to Earth
The Chronicle of Higher Education profiles Jim Collins, a Boston University bioengineer and founder of synthetic biology ...
GMO labeling goes to Washington
Up until now, activists have been counting on state mandates to gain momentum to eventually push through national labeling laws ...
Human genes are patentable, says Australian court
An Australian federal court has ruled that human genes are patentable. The court held that isolated DNA – even if ...
Supreme Court to weigh-in on human gene patent law conundrum
The Court’s decision in Association for Molecular Pathology v. Myriad Genetics, which will be argued in April, may finally settle ...
Celltex v. the FDA: Do patients have a right to use their own stem cells for unproven treatments?
By classifying stem cells as drugs, regulations from the FDA have prompted Celltex, a Texas-based company that stores and multiplies ...
Should we ban genetically engineered babies?
In a recent debate hosted by Intelligence Squared, an intellectual forum whose periodic events are broadcast on the web, scientists ...
The “GM genocide”: A case of misplaced blame
Approximately 16,000 farmers in India have committed suicide every year since 1995. A theory that blamed GM crops for the ...
Can biotechnology be open-source?
As the Supreme Court watches Monsanto battle small farmers over GMO patent rights, some are suggesting that open-source biotechnology could ...
New class of GM mosquito rattles anti-GMO campaigns
The Food and Drug Administration will soon decide whether or not to allow the release of genetically modified mosquitoes to ...
Geneticists and physicists collaborate on a DNA dark matter detector
DNA may help out in the hunt for dark matter, the mysterious substance that makes up 25 percent of the ...
Defeated anti-GMO coalition resurrected as GMO Inside
Defeated at the polls in California, anti-GM forces behind Proposition 37 have resurrected their campaign under the moniker GMO Inside ...
Kenya issues blanket GMO ban
Kenya, one of the first African countries to legalize GM technology, used to be recognized as a leader in that ...
Gattaca alert: Personal genomics meets neo-eugenics
Eugenics is back into the headlines, thanks to rapid advances in personal genomics. Naturally, not everyone is inclined to greet ...
New eugenics and the question of personal choice
Eugenics is back in the headlines. Our ability to examine and manipulate our genes is more advanced than ever. But ...