Articles on Bioethics

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Advances in neurotechnology, including AI applications, need to be regulated. (Shutterstock)

New recommendations for regulating neurotechnology in Canada include protecting Indigenous rights

UNESCO’s approach to regulating neurotechnology considers future applications and current privacy and consent concerns.
Brain organoids, pictured here, raise both many medical possibilities and ethical questions. NIAID/Flickr

Science requires ethical oversight – without federal dollars, society’s health and safety are at risk

There are several steps between research on seemingly esoteric subjects and breakthrough medical treatments. Ethical oversight at every stage ensures science and society ultimately benefit.
For companies like 23andMe, consumers are as much the product as the DNA test kits. Veronika Oliinyk/iStock via Getty Images Plus

23andMe is potentially selling more than just genetic data – the personal survey info it collected is just as much a privacy problem

If you were a 23andMe customer, your genetic and personal information could be used in civil or criminal cases, targeted advertising, medical discrimination and so much more.
The development of gene-editing technology has led to many ethical questions. PhonlamaiPhoto/iStock via Getty Images Plus

Editing fetal genomes is on the horizon − a medical anthropologist explains why ethical discussions with the target communities should happen sooner rather than later

In the absence of clear-cut regulation, who should decide on where and how a technology that could change the course of human health should be applied?
Brain-computer interfaces have the potential to transform some people’s lives, but they raise a host of ethical issues, too. Andriy Onufriyenko/Moment via Getty Images

Several companies are testing brain implants – why is there so much attention swirling around Neuralink? Two professors unpack the ethical issues

Brain-computer interface devices have the potential to boost users’ autonomy, especially for people who experience paralysis. But that comes with risks, as well.
Proof of COVID-19 vaccination was once required to access many venues during the pandemic. skaman306/Moment via Getty Images

COVID‑19 vaccine mandates have come and mostly gone in the US – an ethicist explains why their messy rollout matters for trust in public health

Vaccine policies fall on a spectrum, from mandates to recommendations. Deciding what to use and when is not so much a science but a balancing act between personal autonomy and public good.

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