Ethics

The sperm in the Repository for Germinal Choice was intended to create ideal children, but for some prospective parents, it just offered them control over the process of having a child.

The "Nobel Prize Sperm Bank" Was Racist. It Also Helped Change the Fertility Industry

The Repository for Germinal Choice was supposed to produce super-kids from the sperm of white high achievers

Before St. Martin's living digestive system was studied, doctors knew what the digestive system looked like but not how it looked or behaved while working.

This Man's Gunshot Wound Gave Scientists a Window Into Digestion

The relationship between St. Martin and the doctor who experimented on him was ethically dubious at best

An illustration from 'Professor Dowell's Head,' a 1925 science fiction story from Russian author Alexander Belyayev.

Good News, Everybody! Someone Once Patented Plans For Keeping A Severed Head Alive

It was what's called a "prophetic patent"—one that isn't real yet

A San man prepares his arrows for hunting in the Living Museum of the Ju’Hoansi-San, Grashoek, Namibia

San People of South Africa Issue Code of Ethics for Researchers

This much-studied population is the first indigenous people of Africa to develop such guidelines

New Report Cautiously Supports Some Gene Editing of Embryos

A new report suggests that editing embryos to cure some genetic diseases may be permissable

There’s a Department of Government Ethics? What Does it Do?

What is the agency weighing in on the incoming administrations potential conflicts of interest?

Welcome the First "Three-Parent" Baby Into the World

Fertility doctor John Zhang and his team transplanted DNA from one egg to another to prevent a fatal mitochondrial disease

Are these kinds of experiences worth the carbon footprint?

Visiting Melting Glaciers Can Be Profound. But Is It Morally Wrong?

How to weigh the moral costs of your climate change tour

How to Regulate the Incredible Promise and Profound Power of Gene Drive Technology

An evolutionary ecologist argues that cutting-edge genetic research that could lead to species extinction should be handled with care

Pure Human features clothing made from leather that is produced from the DNA of designer Alexander McQueen—and that includes freckles, realistically placed tattoos and even sunburns.

Alexander McQueen Is Being Turned Into Leather

The late designer's DNA is part of a bizarre experiment in fashion ethics

Environmental cues mosquitoes to swarm inside a lab.

Kill All the Mosquitoes?!

New gene-editing technology gives scientists the ability to wipe out the carriers of malaria and the Zika virus. But should they use it?

Spared From the Holocaust by His Countrymen, a Jewish Refugee Hopes That Denmark Can Regain Its Humanity

Leo Goldberger will never forget how his fellow Danes kept him safe, but the reaction to today’s refugee crisis gives him pause about his former homeland

Hamsters seem to have a more optimistic outlook when they have access to creature comforts.

Hamsters Are Optimists When They Live in Comfy Cages

Pet hamsters that enjoy habitats full of toys and fluffy bedding make more upbeat decisions than those in stark enclosures

Scientists Clash Over Stegosaurus Sexing

A new paper is causing controversy with claims that dinosaurs’ sex can be determined by their bones

Half the Cells in This Mouse’s Brain Are Human

Researchers implanted immature human brain cells in mouse pups, which then grew and replaced nearly half the mice's own cells

The Average Prisoner Only Gets Two Visits While They Are Incarcerated

Prisoners who receive the most visitors, however, tend to do the best after they are released

Some Zoo Grass Is Electrified

Some zoo landscaping is designed to keep the animals within their cages, not for them to interact with

Chippewa men performing in an annual powwow held near Cass Lake, Minnesota.

An American Tribe Wants a German Museum to Return Native American Scalps

The German Museums Association says that scalps are not subject to the same ethical guidelines that govern other human remains

A baby chimp in the 1950s

This Guy Simultaneously Raised a Chimp and a Baby in Exactly the Same Way to See What Would Happen

When treated as a human, the baby chimp acted like one—until her physiology and development held her back

Morning People May Act Less Ethically at Night

Early birds become less ethical late at night, and night owls are more likely to be dishonest early in the morning, a study shows.

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