Author: EUSci
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Artificial general intelligence presents an existential threat
You’ve heard of AI, but artificial general intelligence poses another danger, as Jason Segall explores in this article, suggesting what could be done to mitigate the potential disasters the technology could bring about.
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Do no harm – but a white lie couldn’t hurt, could it?
Placebos have been a well-known and effective tool for medical trials and professionals, but how ethical is it for doctors to use them on patients? Nathan Rockley argues they could be a slippery slope that is best left untouched.
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Genetic screening will empower families
If you could know, from the day you were born, your risk of developing certain diseases, would you want to?
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Saviour siblings: draw the line at organ donation
Clodegh Aherne argues why it is important that we look into the nature of saviour siblings and asks us to consider the psychological as well as the physical impacts on donor-children – is it really worth it?
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Gambling a life for a life: lose one or gain two?
Millie Chambers finds that a saviour sibling is not as immoral an idea as you she first thought.
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Rights of Nature will be meaningless without a fundamental shift in how we think
More than 2,500 trees will be uprooted as construction works for new subway lines begin in Athens, Greece. This follows a devastating summer in which more than 110,000 hectares (424 square miles) of forest areas have burned, more than five times the average from 2008 to 2020. Granted, the new routes are expected to lower…
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The only way to save our natural world is by giving it rights
Imagine a world where nature itself is a political actor recognised in law. In this world, deforestation would be genocide, and the use of bee-killing pesticides a hate crime. It may seem like a radical approach to environmental law, but charging 5p for a plastic bag clearly isn’t going to stop us from hurtling towards…
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Lockdown led to quieter but not cleaner oceans
In February 2020, Italy became the first country in Europe to impose a lockdown in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. In the following months, amidst the stress of those initial lockdowns, the sounds of birdsong freed from traffic noise were a source of comfort and optimism to many around Europe and the rest of the…
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Every breath you take, every memory you make
The way you breathe can influence your brain’s ability to form long-term memories, writes Clara Lenherr.
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Synthetic “embryos” pave the way for ethical drug screening
Embyronic stem cells could be the key to future drug testing, replacing animal testing with a cheaper and more reliable method, writes Katie Pickup.