The notion that "the mind is what the brain does" is catching fire in academia, especially in the trendy area of neuroscience. In other words, you — your personality, your most intimate self, your dreams, your convictions — are electrical

In 2003, the idea that one might have a freedom to change one's body and brain as one liked was being discussed in relation to the Transhumanist FAQ. This idea receives much less attention in the current FAQ, where it

The family of Terri Schiavo, the Florida woman who was artificially kept alive for 15 years, say they feel both heartbreak and vindication over the news this week that a Belgian man thought to be in a persistent vegetative state

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) would seem as unlikely a target for attack as Santa's elves. For a quarter-century, this squeaky-clean, underappreciated group of doctors and nurses who are specialists in preventive medicine has toiled away in obscurity

Every medical study ever conducted has concluded that 100 percent of all Americans will eventually die. This comes as no great surprise, but the amount of money being spent at the very end of people's lives probably will. Last year,

President Barack Obama today established a new presidential council to advise him on bioethical matters. It replaces the sometimes controversial council that advised President George W. Bush. (ScienceInsider)

The Johns Hopkins neurologist and his colleagues had autopsied the brains of people with autism who died in accidents and found evidence of neuroinflammation. This rare look inside the autistic brain had the potential to increase understanding of the mysterious

Earlier this month, Ohio prison officials announced they will abandon the three-drug cocktail for lethal injection in favor of a single injection of a massive dose of barbiturates. If the execution team is unable to find a suitable vein, the

Genetic screening of human embryos may eventually eradicate inherited diseases ranging from breast cancer to cystic fibrosis. Using a technique known as pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD), specialists can select a couple's healthy embryo for implantation in the womb and discard

On April 29-30, Children's Mercy Hospitals and Clinics in Kansas City, MO will be hosting a symposium on Pediatric Pharmacogenomics and Personalized Medicine. A full afternoon session will be dedicated to presentations and discussions revolving around the Ethical Issues related

BIOETHICS FELLOWSHIPS, Department of Bioethics, Clinical Center, National Institutes of Health - DHHSPost baccalaureate, pre doctoral and post doctoral fellows will participate in mentored theoretical and empirical research related to the ethics of health policy, human subjects research, international research

Women can delay having their first Pap test for cervical cancer until they turn 21 and many can wait longer to go back for follow-up screenings, according to new guidelines released Friday by a major medical group. (Washington Post)

Beijing city government admits that the Chinese capital has a problem with illegal medical centres - known as black clinics. It closed down more than 3,300 of these unregulated and sometimes dangerous clinics last year alone. (BBC)

Embryonic stem cell therapy got a step closer to the clinic Thursday after US researchers said they filed a request for government approval of human trials. The trials would involve 12 patients losing their sight to a currently untreatable disease

In an unusual pushback against President Obama's expansion of federal financing of human embryonic stem cell research, the University of Nebraska is considering restricting its stem cell experiments to cell lines approved by President George W. Bush. (New York Times)

Plastic surgeons shriek as Democrats consider an excise tax on elective cosmetic procedures to raise funds for health reform. (BusinessWeek)

IBM's Blue Gene brain simulation has made gains in one of the most sophisticated tasks man has ever taken on—creating artificial intelligence (AI). With the true AI milestone comes the dawn of the singularity, when computers overtake humans. Contributing editor

Judy Illes has a dilemma. What happens when someone who has agreed to participate in a medical study undergoes a brain scan during which the researcher happens to discover an anomaly, a potential health risk? It's a hypothetical quandary, but

In 1997, a federal committee of medical experts recommended against routine mammograms for women in their 40s, sparking a political uproar that led to congressional hearings and a unanimous Senate vote challenging the findings.Now, 12 years later, a similar drama

Some of the learning difficulties of Down's syndrome have been reversed by a blood pressure drug in a breakthrough that offers hope to millions. Given in childhood, the drug could improve marks in school. In adulthood, it could prevent or