Bioethics

Photo of a sleeping newborn in pink wrapped in a green blanket wearing a medical ID bracelet on their wrist.
CONSCIOUSNESS

When does the first spark of human consciousness ignite?

We can’t ask babies what they’re feeling, but ingenious new methods are shedding light on the origins of subjective awareness

by Joel Frohlich

Photo of a brown earthworm on rough grey asphalt in sunlight.
BIOETHICS

Why, in a universe of pain, I’m saving stranded earthworms

Any action can seem futile amid so much suffering. I’ve realised the important thing is to stop despairing and do something

by Claire E Schultz

Photo of a hand on a table with a pulse oximeter measuring oxygen saturation and pulse rate on the index finger.
BIOETHICS

Some medical devices don’t mean to be racist, but they are

Oppression can get built into anything, including medical devices. How do they influence us, and what can we do about them?

by Vanessa Carbonell & Shen-yi Liao

Photo of a glass jar with a lid on a pedestal in a dimly lit setting, with blurred figures in the background.
BIOETHICS

When does a human embryo have the moral status of a person?

Weighing up the science and the ethics of research on human embryos beyond its current 14-day restrictions

by David Cox

Illustration of a medieval trial with a sow and piglets in court, featuring people in robes and a judge in the background.
ANIMALS

If animals are persons, should they bear criminal responsibility?

Were medieval trials of animal criminals not a sign of backwardness, but in fact strangely progressive?

by Ed Simon

Photo of a close-up hamburger with lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles and sauce on a sesame seed bun.
ETHICS

A fake-meat burger, a sex doll and a thought experiment

How is enjoying a burger, even if it’s one made of fake meat, different from enjoying a female, even if she’s a sex doll?

by Rebecca Lowe

A wooden box filled with vintage black-and-white photos, some faded, shown in an artistic photograph.
PARENTING AND FAMILIES

I’m childfree by choice. Should I feel guilty about ending my line?

My uterus is not my ancestors’ vessel for future progeny. What’s the impact of my choice on my family’s genetic lineage?

by Starre Vartan

Colourful brain activity scan with red, green, and purple regions, depicted against a black background.
NEUROSCIENCE

Brain scans look stunning, but what do they actually mean?

Functional brain scans are a valuable tool but their meaning must be interpreted with caution and scepticism

by Danielle Carr

Photo of a monkey in a metal cage looking back at the viewer with a neutral expression.
ANIMALS

My cancer scars map the pain of animals held in research labs

The scars on my body are a constant reminder of why I’ve turned from scholarship on animals to agitating for animals

by Barbara J King