The Large Hadron Collider is an amazing scientific tool. And although it is still not up and running it produces a steady stream of exciting news – because when the experimentalists are busy with repairs the theorists are at play. New…

In an article published in the Australian on 12 October 2009 (http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,26195539-30417,00.html ), Des Moore the director of the Institute for Private Enterprise (http://www.ipe.net.au/ipeframeset.htm…

Recent developments in neuroimaging have created concerns about the ethics of 'mind-reading'. A technology called functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) has led to significant advances in the ability to determine what someone …

The UK Borders Agency has recently come under fire for looking into the use of DNA tests and isotope analysis to determine the true nationality of asylum seekers. It is not just refugee support groups who are outraged, scientists are equall…

Cheating Darwin? The Ethics of Sexual Selection In a recent article titled “Cheating Darwin: The Genetic and Ethical Implications of Vanity and Cosmetic Plastic Surgery” in the July issue of the Journal of Evolution and Technology, Kristi S…

In late 2007 a young woman with a history of depression and several previous suicide attempts presented to an emergency department following an overdose. She gave doctors a copy of her living will, written 3 days previously, in which she ma…

By Julian Savulescu As read about in the Telegraph, doctors allowed 26-year-old Kerrie Wooltorton to die after she swallowed poison and gave them a letter instructing them not to intervene.   Reference:  Savulescu J. Should All …

The question of the social utility of the financial services and of the appropriate modes of remuneration of its actors has occupied a central place at the G20 meeting held in Pittsburgh. Indeed, the G20 leaders expressed a shared willingne…

Kerrie Wooltorton is believed to have been the first person to use a living will as part of a successful attempt to commit suicide: http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2009/oct/01/living-will-suicide-legal . The 26-year-old wrote her will, an…

Prominent authors like Susan Greenfield and Roger Scruton have raised worries about the rise of virtual worlds such as Second Life, which they fear might have a negative impact on human relationships, as people increasingly spend their live…