Three MDMA therapy papers retracted over data integrity concerns
The journal Psychopharmacology has retracted three papers about MDMA-assisted psychotherapy — right on the heels…
Category: ethics
STAT+: Mount Sinai mounted aggressive campaign to stifle debate over revelations about its controversial brain research
Mount Sinai, a leading hospital network in New York City, has mounted an extraordinary behind-the-scenes…
STAT+: NIH loses suit over censoring social media comments made by animal rights advocates
In a boost for animal rights advocates, a U.S. appeals court ruled that a National…
Opinion: IRBs fail to assess trials’ scientific merit, putting participants at risk
Thousands of people volunteer for clinical research trials in the United States every year. They…
5 takeaways from the Human Genome Project investigation
The Human Genome Project was among the most ambitious scientific efforts in modern history, with…
The untold story of the Human Genome Project: How one man’s DNA became a pillar of genetics
STAT is co-publishing this investigation by Undark. They numbered 20 in all — 10 men…
STAT+: Gene therapies for deafness dredge up an old question: Do deaf people want a ‘cure’?
When Yilai Shu was training to be an otolaryngologist in Shanghai, in the mid 2000s,…
STAT+: Former MIT biologist David Sabatini, forced out after sexual harassment accusations, to lead new Boston team
Former MIT and Whitehead Institute star biologist David Sabatini, who lost his lofty positions after…
Opinion: Lessons to psychiatrists-in-training from the CIA’s mind-control projects
My chief resident gave me a strange look when I arrived for another day of…
STAT+: The next frontier in data privacy? Your brain
Consumer neurotechnology is booming. You can buy a funky-looking headband for $500 on the internet…
New HHS guidance requires consent for pelvic, breast, and other sensitive examinations
Hospitals performing pelvic and other sensitive exams for training purposes without patients’ explicit consent, including…
Q&A: Stem cell biologist predicts human embryo models could pave the way to organ transplants
A lot happens in the first month of human embryo development as a single cell…
Opinion: A new Louisiana capital-punishment bill would fundamentally alter physician licensing
After the recent nitrogen gas execution in Alabama of Kenneth Smith, state Attorney General Steve…
Opinion: How much personal health information does King Charles owe the public?
On Feb. 5, Buckingham Palace shared the news that King Charles had started treatment for…
Studies cited in abortion pill case are retracted due to flaws and conflicts of interest
A medical journal has retracted two studies claiming to show the harms of the abortion…
Opinion: What the pope is missing about commercial surrogacy
Over the past few years, I have watched a wonderful young boy I’ll call Chad…
Opinion: I’m an anesthesiologist. Kenneth Smith’s execution by nitrogen gas was far from ‘textbook’
On Thursday evening, the state of Alabama executed Kenneth Eugene Smith by nitrogen gas. Now,…
STAT+: Former MIT biologist, who lost positions after engaging in a prohibited sexual relationship, accepts new science position in Prague
Former MIT and Whitehead Institute star biologist David Sabatini, who lost his positions after he…
Opinion: Phenylephrine is no better than a placebo. What if that’s still better than nothing?
As the temperatures cool, the season of colds, flu, and now Covid-19 is heating up….
STAT+: Artificial wombs, after years in development, reach FDA review for human trials
The artificial womb, a device aiming to save infants born way too soon, is inching…
Opinion: The morally ground-shifting legacy of Ian Wilmut and Dolly the sheep
Ian Wilmut, the British scientist behind the first-ever cloning of a mammal, died Sept. 10,…
Randomized controlled trials are the ‘gold standard’ of research — but a difficult fit for trans care
In order to provide gender-affirming care, clinicians must sometimes jump through unusual hoops. In Australia,…
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New definition of a human embryo proposed amid rapid scientific advances
When someone says the word embryo, what do you think of? Probably that picture you’ve…
STAT+: Global controversy heats up the race to build human embryos from stem cells
Earlier this month, a British journalist broke the news that researchers had taken a major…
Opinion: How I helped Pfizer think through the ethics of Viagra 25 years ago
Twenty-five years ago, 75-year-old Bob Dole — former Republican presidential candidate and U.S. senator from…
Opinion: Proposed rules to protect health data in an era of abortion bans fall short
When the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, it effectively rescinded national protections of reproductive…
Opinion: Why the rise of DNA testing is creating challenges — and an opportunity
Twenty years ago, virtually all people seeking genetic testing were individuals diagnosed with diseases possibly…
STAT+: Cerebral and other telehealth startups face new legal and regulatory challenges over ad models
A potential class-action lawsuit against troubled digital prescribing startup Cerebral raises crucial questions about whether…
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Opinion: Living kidney donors rely on a promise to protect our future health. We’re scared it will go away
Five years ago, I donated my “spare” kidney at the Mayo Clinic to a woman…
Opinion: The lab leak conversation shows it’s time to rethink our biosecurity infrastructure, not just policies
The Covid pandemic exacerbated fear and panic regarding the potential for a future bioterrorism agent….
STAT+: Setting aside the thorniest issues around CRISPR babies, scientists say embryo-editing research should proceed
LONDON — The Francis Crick Institute is a glimmering chameleon of a building, spanning four…
STAT+: Mice with two fathers and base-edited baby monkeys highlight potential — and limitations — of hereditable gene editing
LONDON — Scientists at this year’s genome editing summit spent Tuesday showing the world just…
U.S. plans crackdown on nursing homes that sedate patients with unnecessary antipsychotics
WASHINGTON (AP) — The federal government says it will begin a targeted crackdown on nursing…
California’s dark history of forced sterilizations comes into focus as it seeks victims to pay reparations
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — About 600 people alive today can’t have children because California’s government…
Paying research participants — a lot — may be a key to increasing diversity in studies
Paying people to participate in medical research has been proposed as a way to narrow…
Science, Cell issue notices of concern on challenged papers co-authored by Stanford president
The leading journals Science and Cell on Thursday issued “expressions of concern” on papers co-authored…
Amid criticism, Stanford turns over review of its president to outside investigator
Stanford University has hired an outside law firm to lead the investigation of its president…
Twitter has spent years trying to combat health misinformation. Will Musk’s takeover make that harder?
In the years since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, many health-care professionals have turned…
Harassment prompts children’s hospitals to strip websites, threatening access to gender-affirming care
Children’s hospitals that have been targeted on social media for providing gender-affirming care — and…
STAT+: Tobacco giant Philip Morris is investing billions in health care. Critics say it’s peddling cures for its own poison
A new health care company was quietly incorporated last month, with plans to leverage cutting-edge…
Opinion: People with terminal cancer need to know they are dying. Doctors shouldn’t withhold that information
I have worn many hats professionally. The most uncomfortable one is “doctor friend.” At best,…
Opinion: Nazi-tainted Pernkopf’s Atlas: A case for acknowledgement, not removal
I was slouched in my lab seat during a lecture on osteopathic principles and practices,…
Opinion: ‘Is an abortion medically necessary?’ is not a question for ethicists to answer
Abortion raises many ethical questions. Determining whether an abortion is needed to save a pregnant…
Opinion: Decriminalizing HIV: Scientifically proven and morally correct
One hundred thirty-four. That’s the number of countries that currently criminalize or prosecute people based…
Opinion: Implant recipients shouldn’t be left in the dark when a device maker cuts off support
Imagine having an impaired sense restored by an innovative device, only to suddenly lose that…
Opinion: Addressing institutional trauma in health care: the case for a structured ethical framework
In recent years, many health care professionals have been confronting the challenging chapters of their…
Researchers revive abandoned technique in effort to make artificial human eggs in a test tube
In a little-noticed study published earlier this year, scientists from Oregon Health & Science University…
Opinion: The Morris ALS Principles: A model for empowering all disease communities
The FDA’s decision to delay its highly anticipated review of AMX0035, a new drug for…
Opinion: Arthur Ashe and AIDS: Did the public have the right to know his diagnosis?
Do prominent public figures who are ill have some type of responsibility to reveal their…
Buffalo shooting ignites a debate over the role of genetics researchers in white supremacist ideology
The 18-year-old gunman suspected of carrying out a racist attack that killed 10 and injured…