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2018
No super-vegetables for Europe
The gene-editing tool CRISPR could help farmers overcome the challenges of malnutrition. But European legislation has closed the door to that technology.
How to make threads “green”
French start-up Hopaal has found a way to recycle textiles and even plastic bottles to manufacture environmentally friendly clothing.
CRISPR scissors editing embryos
Genetic engineering is developing on human embryos, raising both hopes and ethical concerns.
Cryopreservation: a new miracle?
Women who want to delay their pregnancies can now freeze their eggs effectively and safely. But success is not guaranteed.
“We’ll be thankful for all the progress in healthcare”
Physician, businessman and writer, France’s Laurent Alexandre brings a range of perspectives to the challenges posed by such new technologies as artificial intelligence.
The search engine with a difference
France’s Qwant was built to have two competitive advantages: respecting privacy and being a credible alternative to its American rivals.
2017
Search for rigour
While the scientific method strives for objectivity, experimental results are still prone to unconscious bias and error.
A new genetic revolution
The ability to modify sequences of DNA with pinpoint precision promises new drugs, healthier livestock and better crops.
War without humans
Lambèr Royakkers of the Eindhoven University of Technology analyses the dangers of having machines make life-or-death decisions.
2016
Medicine: ethical questions
Sharing medical data leads to more targeted treatments, but also bears the risk of abuse. Adam Molyneaux of Sophia Genetics discusses the complexities.
2015
Can you trust what you read?
Thanks to major European initiatives, scientific publishers are feeling the pressure to crack down on plagiarism
The shades of grey
The vision of a world in which everyone lives longer and better is attractive – but for societies the changes will be over-whelming. An ethicist and a sociologist discuss the implications.
Sharing: business or benevolence?
Everyone has heard of Uber and AirBnB, but they are not the only game in town. Some platforms are purely altruistic, some very capitalistic.
The sins of peer review
More than one million scientific articles are published every year. The process that was established to control their quality is increasingly being called into question.
2014
Rise of the geek lawyers
How science fiction can inform a generally staid profession about the legal issues of the future.
Attack of the clones
Annoying to some but completely normal to others, copying has become an established business model in the world of start-ups and smartphone apps.
Privacy, after Snowden
People are increasingly concerned about the safety of personal data. The market is responding with new encryption products that are easy to use.