Daily Archives: November 16th, 2010
Aristotle would be proud: `Prudent vigilance’ for synthetic biology
Since there are so many unknowns about synthetic biology, should the federal government follow Europe’s approach to genetically modified food? That is, not allow research to go forward until it’s proven safe? That question was posed by Dr. John D. Arras, a member of the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues, during its […]
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Commissioners debate synthetic biology’s rewards, risks
It is a subject so new and so fast-evolving that scientists disagree on how to define it. The subject, synthetic biology, has many definitions, said Dr. James Wagner, President of Emory University and Vice Chair of the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues. “We asked for a definition and we were rebuffed,’’ Wagner […]
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An ethical framework
At the opening of the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues meeting today in Atlanta, the first discussion wasn’t about the issue at hand – synthetic biology. Instead, it was about how to approach the issue. It was the third meeting of the Commission for its assigned task to make a recommendation to […]
