ethics

A new review article suggests insects have the capacity to experience pain. The research summarizes the latest behavioral and molecular science and concludes pain states in insects could have ethical implications for current farming practices.

​In the largest cross-cultural survey ever conducted, a team of anthropologists has determined 7 moral rules they suggest are universal. Surveying ethnographic accounts from 60 different cultures the research concludes every single culture analyzed seems to be ruled by the same moral precepts.​

In a new commentary, two researchers are questioning the ethics and transparency of Facebook’s suicide prevention system. The algorithm reportedly flags users deemed to be at high-risk of self-harm activating a process where the company notifies local authorities to intervene.

The world’s first gene-edited human babies have been born in China. Professor Jiankui He claims that by removing a specific gene from the embryos using CRISPR-Cas9, the twin girls would have a natural immunity to HIV. But scientists question the safety, effectiveness and morality of the procedure.

The Nuffield Council on Bioethics has released a briefing note asking what it sees as the big ethical questions on the use of artificial intelligence in healthcare. The note acknowledges the huge potential of AI, but its focus is on the serious questions relating to its use.