DALLAS, April 23, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The recent announcement by Chinese scientist He Jiankui, that he used CRISPR technology to engineer a human embryo that resulted in the live birth of twin girls, ignited a firestorm of debate about the ethics of editing the human genome. For the Spring 2019 edition of Issues in Science and Technology, we invited a few of the leading thinkers in the field to comment on where we are in the process of understanding and managing this powerful technology.
Henry T. Greely addresses the immediate practical problem of how to prevent rogue scientists from violating scientific and social norms. He recommends deterrence measures that will make miscreants pay a heavy price for their deeds and some norms and procedures for disclosure when people have suspicions of wrongdoing. Peter Mills encourages us to consider the professed purpose of any use of this technology as well as its implications in light of the principles of human rights. Françoise Baylis acknowledges the various frameworks that should be applied when approaching this question and places special emphasis on the necessity of achieving broad societal consensus before moving forward with this technology. Reaching that broad social consensus will necessitate engaging with all the world's religious and ethical traditions. Mohammed Ghaly provides a valuable service in explaining how Islamic scholars and ethicists approach the question.
Also in this issue, Keith Kloor takes a look at seven decades of UFO stories and investigates why extraterrestrial enthusiasts, the news media, and the Pentagon are all interested in promoting these tales of close encounters. The researchers Diane E. Bailey and Ingrid Erickson find that advocates for self-driving vehicles attempt to steer the discussion of improved safety away from alternative approaches. Other feature articles explore the economic potential of smart manufacturing, the threat to regulations designed to protect the nation's wetlands, and the dubious link between patenting and real innovation.
In his Sciences, Publics, Politics column, Matthew Nisbet finds that the Democratic proposal for a Green New Deal hurts the party's electoral prospects in 2020 and weakens efforts to build momentum on politically feasible climate and energy policies.
ISSUES IN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY is the award-winning journal of the National Academies, the University of Texas at Dallas and Arizona State University. www.issues.org
Contact: Kevin Finneran (202) 329-5859
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Henry T. Greely addresses the immediate practical problem of how to prevent rogue scientists from violating scientific and social norms. He recommends deterrence measures that will make miscreants pay a heavy price for their deeds and some norms and procedures for disclosure when people have suspicions of wrongdoing. Peter Mills encourages us to consider the professed purpose of any use of this technology as well as its implications in light of the principles of human rights. Françoise Baylis acknowledges the various frameworks that should be applied when approaching this question and places special emphasis on the necessity of achieving broad societal consensus before moving forward with this technology. Reaching that broad social consensus will necessitate engaging with all the world's religious and ethical traditions. Mohammed Ghaly provides a valuable service in explaining how Islamic scholars and ethicists approach the question.
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Also in this issue, Keith Kloor takes a look at seven decades of UFO stories and investigates why extraterrestrial enthusiasts, the news media, and the Pentagon are all interested in promoting these tales of close encounters. The researchers Diane E. Bailey and Ingrid Erickson find that advocates for self-driving vehicles attempt to steer the discussion of improved safety away from alternative approaches. Other feature articles explore the economic potential of smart manufacturing, the threat to regulations designed to protect the nation's wetlands, and the dubious link between patenting and real innovation.
In his Sciences, Publics, Politics column, Matthew Nisbet finds that the Democratic proposal for a Green New Deal hurts the party's electoral prospects in 2020 and weakens efforts to build momentum on politically feasible climate and energy policies.
ISSUES IN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY is the award-winning journal of the National Academies, the University of Texas at Dallas and Arizona State University. www.issues.org
Contact: Kevin Finneran (202) 329-5859
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SOURCE Issues in Science and Technology
