January 7, 2025
(Vox) – We’re painfully aware that we are vulnerable, fallible creatures. Our shame about that is reflected in Western religious traditions: The Bible tells us that upon first creating the world, God “saw that it was good,” but then became … Read More
January 2, 2025
(Financial Times) – What price immortality? Hal Finney, a computer scientist and early bitcoin user, placed his bets on cryonics: his body is preserved at Alcor Life Extension Foundation in Arizona. Tech billionaire Bryan Johnson has availed himself of his … Read More
December 17, 2024
(Wired) – The protective proteins in our bodies aren’t just great for fending off infection—they could also fight the effects of getting older. The antibodies can gum up the workings of a marauding germ or mark it for destruction by … Read More
December 16, 2024
The Journal of Medicine & Philosophy (vol. 49, no. 6, 2024) is available online by subscription only. Articles include:
December 6, 2024
(Wall Street Journal) – Harvard geneticist David Sinclair aims to develop treatments for aging, but his companies have struggled to deliver Harvard geneticist David Sinclair’s seductive notion that aging is a treatable disease has helped companies he founded to raise … Read More
December 2, 2024
(Wired) – A Swedish startup wants to democratize stem cell treatments, but the finances of the unproven therapies raise ethical questions. Travel to the Bahamas and—for the meager sum of $16,500—you could have stem cells injected into your joints. The … Read More
November 18, 2024
(Wall Street Journal) – Keratopigmentation could be dangerous, doctors warn. Patients say it’s worth the risks. Some people getting the procedure say they want to look better and feel more confident. Others did it to look more like family members. … Read More
November 13, 2024
Medicine, Health Care and Philosophy (vol. 27, no. 4, 2024) is available online by subscription only. Articles include:
November 11, 2024
(NBC News) – The hormone is recommended for women only at low doses for low libido. Do women have a testosterone problem? Social media influencers believe they do. And with the rise of telemedicine and testosterone replacement clinics opening up … Read More
October 24, 2024
(The Guardian) – Pollock is among an unknown number of people experiencing what many have unofficially termed “breast implant illness” (BII). The term has gained traction on social media but is not a formal medical diagnosis, and therefore still unfamiliar … Read More
October 7, 2024
(Axios) – A routine checkup in some parts of the country may now come with a side of Botox, a weight-loss drug or a comprehensive blood screening to suss out medical conditions, all usually offered on a cash-only basis. Why … Read More
October 1, 2024
(Washington Post) – In its annual report of yearly procedures for 2023, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons dubbed the new popular look the “ballet body.” Fueled by the rise of the blockbuster GLP-1 drugs, including Ozempic and Wegovy, thinness … Read More
September 27, 2024
(New York Times) – Just weeks before this summer’s Olympics in Paris, officials at the headquarters of the World Anti-Doping Agency got some startling news. Lawyers for the organization told a meeting of top officials in late May that a … Read More
September 27, 2024
(MIT Technology Review) – Long-distance space travel can wreak havoc on human health. There’s radiation and microgravity to contend with, as well as the psychological toll of isolation and confinement. Research on identical twin astronauts has also revealed a slew … Read More
September 27, 2024
The Journal of Medicine & Philosophy (vol. 49, no. 5, 2024) is available online by subscription only. Articles include:
September 26, 2024
(NPR) – States that passed anti-transgender laws aimed at minors saw suicide attempts by transgender and gender nonconforming teenagers increase by as much as 72% in the following years, a new study by The Trevor Project says. The peer-reviewed study, … Read More
September 25, 2024
(The Atlantic) – Like normal Botox, baby Botox involves injections of a muscle paralytic. The difference is that baby Botox is proactive versus reactive: If first administered in youth and repeated every few months for the rest of your life, … Read More
September 23, 2024
(New York Times) – Breast reduction is all the rage in cosmetic surgery. Are women asserting their independence or capitulating to yet another impossible standard of beauty? The women walk into the surgeons’ offices with photos cued up on their … Read More
September 11, 2024
(Axios) – A class-action complaint claims Aetna violated federal non-discrimination law by denying coverage of certain gender-affirming surgeries. Why it matters: The lawsuit filed Tuesday cites civil rights protections in the Affordable Care Act that are currently being challenged by … Read More
September 6, 2024
(Wall Street Journal) – Prescriptions for testosterone cypionate, a generic form commonly sold by the clinics, have increased by eight times since 2010. When added to branded products, the total number of testosterone prescriptions is at a record high, according … Read More
September 4, 2024
(Nature) – Testosterone treatment boosts levels of an inflammatory protein to those typically seen in cis men, study finds. When trans men receive testosterone therapy, their bodies begin to resemble those of cis men in many ways — including their … Read More
August 29, 2024
(NBC News) – Twenty-six states now have restrictions on transgender health care for minors, according to the LGBTQ think tank Movement Advancement Project. The laws have left those still able to provide this type of care, like Goepferd, struggling to … Read More
August 27, 2024
(MIT Technology Review) – The longevity scene is having a moment, thanks to a combination of scientific advances, public interest, and an unprecedented level of investment. A few key areas of research suggest that we might be able to push … Read More
August 23, 2024
(CNN) – The trend has been popular in parts of Europe for about a decade but really started taking off in the United States over the past few years after people revealed their dramatic color transformations on social media apps … Read More
August 16, 2024
(MIT Technology Review) – The US government just hired a researcher who thinks we can beat aging with fresh cloned bodies and brain updates. A US agency pursuing moonshot health breakthroughs has hired a researcher advocating an extremely radical plan … Read More
