Tags: research
Blog Posts (36)
Jun 06, 2011
The (In)Justice of Cancer Treatment
It is striking the juxtaposition of the two major headlines today regarding cancer treatment:
Sep 13, 2010
Guinea-Pigging: It's Not A Real Word, But It's A Real-World Phenomenon
Watch to see the story of “The Life of a Professional Guinea Pig” courtesy of TIME.
Spencer, or as I would describe him a walking human pin cushion (shown below), tells his story of being a healthy volunteer for Phase I research.…
Aug 04, 2010
Could (or Should) Bioethicists Prevent These 14 Inevitable Scientific Breakthroughs from Changing The World?
For just a little levity on a Wednesday, click on this link at Cracked.com to see their reader’s picks for the 14 Inevitable Scientific Breakthroughs The World Will Regret!…
Feb 04, 2010
Caplan: Zealot's Bad Study Leads Autism Community Astray for A Decade
As Arthur Caplan tells us in this week’s MSNBC column, one bad study and a zealot’s pursuit of a theory can lead an entire movement and entire generation of parents astray.…
Jan 25, 2010
"Extraordinary Messiness"
Hollywood has taken up orphan diseases before–remember “Lorenzo’s Oil”? And bioethics movies generally have been increasingly common, even just in the last year.…
Oct 14, 2009
Is Nanotechnology the Key to Happiness?
Nanotechnology has been called a great many things–the great leveler, the panacea to all that ails the world, the technology that will allow us to solve all of our problems from world hunger to pollution.…
Oct 06, 2009
Nonsense. It's Good For You.
Who knew that “The Ministry of Silly Walks” and other such absurdities could actually strengthen our brains? Yes, it’s true.…
Sep 14, 2009
Something to Say about Personal Genomics? Here's Your Chance.
Hat tip to the Business Ethics blog for letting us know about a new research study on personal genomics, privacy and consent currently underway being conducted online from researchers at at University of British Columbia, Saint Mary’s University, & Ryerson University.…
Jun 25, 2009
Follow-up on The Wild West of Nanotechnology
Today, The Scientist has revealed more about the scandal involving nanoscientist Chiming Wei which was first written about here on bioethics.net.…
Jun 17, 2009
Be Careful What You Wish For
In collaboration with Nanotech-Now.com and Lifeboat Foundation, Ti
hamer Toth-Fejel comments as this month’s guest columnist about the prospect of a much less ominous future for nanotechnology that most.…
News (17)
May 18, 2012
Panel debates bioterrorism protection for children (SF Gate)
The Obama administration is asking a presidential commission to help decide an ethical quandary: Should the anthrax vaccine and other treatments being stockpiled in case of a bioterror attack be tested in children? ”We can’t just assume that what we have for adults works for children,” Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius told the panel Thursday.
May 14, 2012
Focus Groups Share Thoughts on Direct-To-Consumer Genetic Tests (red Orbit)
Researchers at Loyola University Chicago’s Stritch School of Medicine have found that patients see both benefits and risks from direct-to-consumer genetic tests. Dr. Katherine Wasson, a specialist on the ethics of direct-to-consumer genetic tests, and colleagues conducted the experiment. The study, published in the American Journal of Bioethics Primary Research, showed that the patients were concerned about the end game of the genetic test results.
Apr 24, 2012
Who matters (or should) when scientists engage in ethical decision-making? (Scientific American)
One of the courses I teach regularly at my university is “Ethics in Science,” a course that explores (among other things) what’s involved in being a good scientist in one’s interactions with the phenomena about which one is building knowledge, in one’s interactions with other scientists, and in one’s interactions with the rest of the world.
Apr 23, 2012
Why science has to promise profits (The Globe and Mail)
Over the past two decades, the popular press has been in love with the idea of a genetic revolution. But the mood has changed. Headlines such as “A.M.A. Heralds a Genetics Revolution” (The New York Times, 1993) and “Genetics: The Future Is Now” (Time Magazine, 1994) have been replaced with banners that drip disappointment, such as “The Failure of the Genome” (The Guardian, 2011), “Did They Oversell the Genomic Revolution?” (Globe and Mail, 2011) and from a recent New York Times article: “Study Says DNA’s Power to Predict Illness Is Limited.”
Apr 18, 2012
Bioethicists urge less regulatory burden for low-risk comparative effectiveness research (Medical Xpress)
In an opinion article published in this week’s theme edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association focusing on comparative effectiveness research, a team of Johns Hopkins University bioethicists argues forcefully for streamlining federal restrictions on at least some low-risk clinical comparative effectiveness research, instead of easing them – as is now proposed – solely for low-risk social and behavior research involving surveys, interviews and focus groups.
Apr 16, 2012
Stay Awake, Comrades (Science Progress)
Are you losing sleep over America’s competition with China for global dominance? Not to worry. The People’s Liberation Army, or PLA, has a pill that will keep you feeling well, alert and comfortable for 72 hours. So at least while you’re not sleeping you can be productive.
Apr 15, 2012
As Beef Cattle Become Behemoths, Who Are Animal Scientists Serving? (Chronicle of Higher Education)
Scores of animal scientists employed by public universities have helped pharmaceutical companies persuade farmers and ranchers to use antibiotics, hormones, and drugs like Zilmax to make their cattle grow bigger ever faster. But at what cost?
Apr 10, 2012
Check This Box: Science Is Getting Easier/Harder/Both/Neither? (Huffington Post)
A core concept of the Enlightenment was that the more that reasoning is based on experimentation the more we can learn about the world. Manipulation of variables, recommended in the 17th century by Francis Bacon, proved to be a turning point in the history of science. By uncovering previously invisible truths and giving human beings novel and effective ways to manage their environment scientific method gave the idea of progress a whole new meaning. Until then it wasn’t at all clear that civilization wasn’t in some kind of steady state, or even that we weren’t in decline from some “golden age.” But it turned out that the golden age was still ahead of us, if we were smart enough to invest in it and wise enough not to misuse the knowledge being gained.
Apr 02, 2012
Gene tests: Your DNA blueprint may disappoint, scientists say (MSNBC)
A readout of all of your DNA? You’ll get it soon. Many wealthy people have theirs already, but within years because of ever-accelerating technology it will be cheap enough for all, including every baby at birth. So what will this “genetic blueprint” tell us of our future health? Not much. #bioethics #genetics
Mar 28, 2012
Panel Seeks Input on Ethical, Privacy Issues in Genomics Research (iHealthBeat)
On Tuesday, the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues published a notice in the Federal Register seeking public feedback on the ethical issues involved in the large-scale collection of genome data.