Tag: DNA
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Debate rages as first designer babies born
Should gene editing be banned? Chinese scientist He Jiankui claims to have created the world’s first gene-edited babies. The research, banned in many countries, has been widely condemned.
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Moral storm as designer babies get green light
Is it ethical to genetically engineer humans? A top bioethics council has declared gene editing of human embryos “morally permissible”. Some fear the social consequences could be disastrous.
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Scientists hail new era of ‘motherless babies’
For 200 years, our knowledge of reproduction has been clear: sperm + egg = baby. But scientists say they may have found a way to create babies with two biological dads. Should we celebrate?
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Gene scientists in secret talks on replicants
Last week, 150 top genetic scientists and entrepreneurs met in secret to discuss the possibility of synthesising a human genome from scratch. The potential consequences are mind-boggling.
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The genetic accident behind all life on Earth
A new scientific study has found that 600 million years ago, a single cell mutated and Earth was changed forever. A dazzling range of complicated animals would follow. Could it happen again?
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Mammoths one step closer to resurrection
Advances in genetic science have allowed researchers to create living mammoth genes for the first time. Is so-called ‘de-extinction’ a legitimate goal for scientists to pursue?
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Landmark UK vote approves three-person babies
In a world first, UK politicians have voted to introduce laws allowing a baby to be created using the DNA of three adults. The decision could alleviate suffering, but at what ethical cost?
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Richard III's skeleton throws up DNA surprise
The bones found under a Leicester car park two years ago are definitely those of the last Plantagenet king, Richard III. But his DNA has cast doubt over the royal bloodline. Does that matter?
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Valuable gene pool defended by Icelanders
Iceland’s small population and low immigration make it a paradise for geneticists hoping to find cures for diseases. But should Icelanders sacrifice their privacy for the good of humanity?
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Ancient thigh bone casts doubt on human origins
Archaeologists have discovered that DNA from a bone found in Spain is 400,000 years old and comes from a mysterious branch of the human family tree. What is our species’ true history?
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Forgotten father of evolution honoured at last
Alfred Russel Wallace independently came up with the theory of natural selection – but Darwin gets all the credit. A statue of Wallace has now been set up in London. What took so long?
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Human clone breakthrough stirs hopes and fears
US scientists have discovered a method that will allow them to successfully clone human embryos. The research could save millions of lives, but what is the moral price?
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Two men and their frogs win Nobel Prize
His science reports at school were terrible. But now John Gurdon has become a joint winner of the Nobel Medicine Prize for his ‘blue sky’ DNA research.
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Big cat investigation launched after deer deaths
Two mangled deer carcasses found in Gloucestershire are being tested for feline DNA. Are wild panthers, pumas and leopards really on the prowl in peaceful Britain?
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US scientists create ‘Frankenstein’ monkeys
Scientists have found a way to create one monkey from six different embryos – a baby with twelve parents. The medical possibilities are endless, but a moral row has already erupted.