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Scientists or veterinary workers doing experiments in lab with experimental animals biological genetic engineering research
Addressing the Problematic Past of Animal Behavior Research
Some of the foundational studies in the field were neither ethical by today’s standards nor replicable. But we can do better.
Addressing the Problematic Past of Animal Behavior Research
Addressing the Problematic Past of Animal Behavior Research

Some of the foundational studies in the field were neither ethical by today’s standards nor replicable. But we can do better.

Some of the foundational studies in the field were neither ethical by today’s standards nor replicable. But we can do better.

ethics

Digital illustration of AI concept
How should we proceed with image-analyzing AI?
Ida Emilie Steinmark, PhD | Aug 1, 2023 | 2 min read
Algorithms can now glean ever more molecular and genetic information from images of stained tissue, but some researchers worry that we can’t follow their logic.
Collage of faces
Remembering Those We Lost in 2022
Lisa Winter | Dec 26, 2022 | 5 min read
A look at some noteworthy scientists who died this year, leaving behind a legacy of research excellence.
Matthieu Groussin sits with three other people on stools in front of a low table, on which there are several bowls of food. Another person stands above Groussin spooning something into a bowl.
Q&A: Gathering Diverse Microbiome Samples
Katherine Irving | Nov 3, 2022 | 8 min read
Cofounders of a microbiome biobank speak with The Scientist about their new partnership with nonprofit OpenBiome and how to ethically work with donors.
blue-gloved hands pipetting from test tube
What’s Next for Ancient DNA Studies After the Nobel?
Mary Prendergast, The Conversation | Oct 5, 2022 | 4 min read
The award highlights tremendous opportunities for aDNA as well as challenges related to rapid growth, equity, and misinformation.
A black and white photo of a woman in a plumed hat in a laboratory classroom with several men
Birth of The Pill, 1956–1960
Andy Carstens | Oct 3, 2022 | 2 min read
Researchers overseeing the clinical trial for the first FDA-approved oral contraceptive claimed the drug gave the Puerto Rican participants power over their family planning. Critics claimed the women were exploited.
A postcard from the early 1900s depicting an Indigenous midden in Damariscotta, Maine.
Sticks and Bones, Circa 8000 BCE
Dan Robitzski | Sep 1, 2022 | 3 min read
Ancient stashes of animal bones, tools, and other artifacts are often dismissed as archaic garbage heaps, but the deposits provide glimpses of the cultural practices and environmental conditions of past Indigenous settlements.
white rat on black background
Opinion: Hold Animal Use Committees Accountable for Their Failures
Lisa Jones-Engel | Jul 27, 2022 | 7 min read
As a former committee member who now advises PETA, I believe that claims that the identities of committee members must be kept secret to protect their safety are unfounded.
Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V computer keyboard button with cable isolated on white background
Opinion: The Reproductive Technology Advances No One Asked For
John D. Loike and Alan Kadish | Jun 22, 2022 | 4 min read
Cloning and parthenogenesis of humans wouldn’t align with bioethical principles.
Octopus in tank lined with black dots
Do Invertebrates Have Emotions?
Natalia Mesa, PhD | May 26, 2022 | 10+ min read
And how do scientists go about answering that question?
Man leaning against a bookshelf
Sheldon Krimsky, Leader in Science Policy and Ethics, Dies at 80
Lisa Winter | May 19, 2022 | 2 min read
Krimsky warned strenuously about the corrupting power of money in science.
People holding signs
NYU Defends Against Backlash Over Potential Hire
Amanda Heidt | Apr 29, 2022 | 8 min read
Hundreds of the school’s faculty, students, and trainees are protesting its consideration of David Sabatini, who left his previous posts after alleged sexual misconduct.
A photo of a skeleton on a black background
Ancient DNA Boom Underlines a Need for Ethical Frameworks
Amanda Heidt | Jan 27, 2022 | 10+ min read
The field of ancient DNA, which combines archaeology and anthropology with cutting-edge genetics, is requiring scientists to have frank conversations about when research is justified and who it benefits.
colored microscope photo of xenobot
“Xenobot” Living Robots Can Reproduce
Chloe Tenn | Dec 2, 2021 | 2 min read
Biological robots made from frog cells can replicate by smooshing loose cells into new robots—a reproduction method not seen in any other organism.
Great Minds Don't Think Alike
Book Excerpt from Great Minds Don't Think Alike
Marcelo Gleiser | Dec 1, 2021 | 4 min read
In the introduction, editor Marcelo Gleiser establishes the need for dialogue across the science-humanities divide in academia.
Great Minds Don't Think Alike
Opinion: Bridging the Intellectual Divide
Marcelo Gleiser | Dec 1, 2021 | 3 min read
To solve modern problems, we must integrate the sciences and the humanities and think across these traditionally disparate disciplines.
Hela cells colored in blue
Henrietta Lacks Estate Sues Thermo Fisher over HeLa Cell Line
Catherine Offord | Oct 4, 2021 | 3 min read
Attorneys for the family seek compensation for the company’s sale of cells cloned from tissue removed without consent by doctors at Johns Hopkins Hospital 70 years ago.
Illustration of a person confused looking at a computer
When Researchers Sound the Alarm on Problematic Papers
Shawna Williams | Sep 1, 2021 | 10+ min read
Finding and reporting an irregularity in a published study can lead people down an unexpected path.
cartoon showing a hand taking a tool to a double-helix of DNA to represent gene editing
WHO Releases New Recommendations on Human Genome Editing
Annie Melchor | Jul 12, 2021 | 3 min read
The guidance comes after two years of consulting with hundreds of stakeholders, including indigenous peoples, religious leaders, patient groups, and scientists.
photo of a researcher looking in a microscope fertilising an egg via intracytoplasmic sperm injection.
Human Stem Cell Research Guidelines Updated
Ruth Williams | May 26, 2021 | 5 min read
Removal of the 14-day limit for culturing human embryos is one of the main changes in the revised recommendations from the International Society for Stem Cell Research.
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