October 3, 2025
A New Edition of The New England Journal of Medicine AI Is Now Available
The New England Journal of Medicine AI (vol. 2, no. 9, 2025) is available online by subscription only. Articles include:
Research Ethics
September 30, 2025
Scientists use human skin cells to create functional eggs, opening a door to new infertility treatments
(CNN) – Scientists have used human skin cells to create fertilizable eggs capable of producing early embryos, an advance that could expand possibilities for fertility treatment, according to new research. The proof-of-concept study, published Tuesday in the journal Nature Communications, … Read More
September 29, 2025
Should we edit nature?
(Aeon) – Countless species are dying from human-induced environmental change. Should we use genetic technology to alter and save them? It wasn’t our intention that humanity would become the planet’s greatest evolutionary force; yet the fact that we are confronts … Read More
September 25, 2025
AI models are using material from retracted scientific papers
(MIT Technology Review) – Some AI chatbots rely on flawed research from retracted scientific papers to answer questions, according to recent studies. The findings, confirmed by MIT Technology Review, raise questions about how reliable AI tools are at evaluating scientific … Read More
September 25, 2025
The 21 grams experiment that tried to weigh a human soul
(Popular Science) – In 1907, Duncan MacDougall put dying patients on a scale. MacDougall hoped to discover whether a soul had mass with his macabre experiment, and if so, how much. His tests with patients, later known as the 21 … Read More
September 23, 2025
These Patients Got the Cure. Then It Went Away.
(New York Times) – Gene therapies for rare diseases are frequently developed then discarded by drug companies because they can’t afford to produce the treatment for more patients. The problem is economics. The science is there to cure Mr. Atteberry’s … Read More
September 23, 2025
Study Promoting Apple Cider Vinegar for Weight Loss Was Complete Bunk
(Gizmodo) – Anyone who’s tried to lose weight knows there’s no shortage of products or fad foods out there that will supposedly speed up your slimming. One such advertised food, apple cider vinegar, will have less credibility behind it now, … Read More
September 22, 2025
A New Edition of Theoretical Medicine and Bioethics Is Now Available
Theoretical Medicine and Bioethics (vol. 46, no. 4, 2025) is available online by subscription only. Articles include:
September 12, 2025
Far more authors use AI to write science papers than admit it, publisher reports
(Science) – After ChatGPT debuted in late 2022 and wowed users with its humanlike fluency, many academic journals rolled out policies requiring authors to disclose whether they had used artificial intelligence (AI) to help write their papers. But new evidence … Read More
September 10, 2025
Another Man Gets a Pig Kidney as Transplant Trials Are Poised to Start
(Medpage Today) – A self-described science nerd is the latest American to get an experimental pig kidney transplantopens in a new tab or window, at a crucial point in the quest to prove if animal organs really might save human … Read More
September 10, 2025
New Articles from BMC Medical Ethics Are Now Available
BMC Medical Ethics has new articles available online. Articles include:
September 8, 2025
Why Former NFL All-Pros Are Turning to Psychedelics
(Wired) – Research into whether drugs like ayahuasca can mitigate the effects of traumatic brain injury is in its infancy. Pro athletes like the Buffalo Bills’ Jordan Poyer are forging ahead anyway. Among Psychedelic Science 2025’s keynote talks was “Healing … Read More
September 5, 2025
LSD shows promise for reducing anxiety in drugmaker’s midstage study
(AP) – LSD reduced symptoms of anxiety in a midstage study published Thursday, paving the way for additional testing and possible medical approval of a psychedelic drug that has been banned in the U.S. for more than a half century. … Read More
August 28, 2025
China Is Building a Brain-Computer Interface Industry
(Wired) – A new policy document outlines China’s plan to create an internationally competitive BCI industry within five years, and proposes developing devices for both health and consumer uses. Jointly authored in July by seven departments within the Chinese government—including … Read More
August 25, 2025
Breakthrough new treatment could REVERSE Down syndrome
(Daily Mail) – Cutting-edge technology could one day transform treatment for Down syndrome, as researchers have successfully deleted an extra chromosome in lab-grown cells. Down syndrome – which occurs when a person has three copies of chromosome 21 instead of … Read More
August 25, 2025
A New Edition of Research Ethics is Now Available
Research Ethics (vol. 21, no. 3, 2025) is available online by subscription only. Articles include:
August 22, 2025
Scientists Just Caught Human Embryo Implantation on Camera
(Wired) – Scientists recorded in 3D and in real time the exact moment a human embryo implanted itself in an artificial uterus, opening new avenues for treating infertility. A team of researchers at the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) … Read More
August 19, 2025
America Is Abandoning One of the Greatest Medical Breakthroughs
(New York Times) – The Department of Health and Human Services recently announced it would wind down 22 mRNA vaccine development projects under the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, or BARDA, halting nearly $500 million in investments. This decision … Read More
August 15, 2025
Watch a human embryo implant itself — with brute force
(Nature) – Video provides an up-close look at a human embryo plunging into tissue that simulates the uterine lining. A time-lapse film offers a glimpse of a hidden milestone of human development: the moment when the newly formed embryo latches … Read More
August 15, 2025
Treating Chronic Pain Is Hard. An Experimental Approach Shows Promise.
(New York Times) – A guitarist in a death metal band was one of several people who found that personalized deep brain stimulation eased their pain and helped them reduce pain medication. Chronic pain, defined as lasting at least three … Read More
August 11, 2025
The Bride of ‘Chinese Frankenstein’—and the Race to Make Designer Babies
(The Free Press) – I’ve spent hours talking to the ‘Chinese Frankenstein’ who says he’s opening a lab in Austin. His competition, in his quest to pioneer gene editing in the United States? It’s his ex. I’m speaking to him … Read More
August 11, 2025
The Black Market for Fake Science Is Growing Faster Than Legitimate Research, Study Warns
(Wired) – A small but growing number of academics are improperly taking credit for articles, citations, and authorships, allowing them to appear prestigious without having conducted their own research. A new study by researchers at Northwestern University has set off … Read More
August 6, 2025
The History and Physics of the Atomic Bomb
(Wired) – First came the idea of splitting the atom; then, a chain of events leading to a moment forever etched in collective memory—the use of nuclear weapons on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. On August 6, 1945, the sky … Read More
August 5, 2025
Fraudulent Scientific Papers Are Rapidly Increasing, Study Finds
(New York Times) – A statistical analysis found that the number of fake journal articles being churned out by “paper mills” is doubling every year and a half. For years, whistle-blowers have warned that fake results are sneaking into the … Read More
August 1, 2025
Musk’s Neuralink to test brain chips in clinical study in Great Britain
(Reuters) – Elon Musk’s brain implant company Neuralink said on Thursday it will launch a clinical study in Great Britain to test how its chips can enable patients with severe paralysis to control digital and physical tools with their thoughts. … Read More
