Database
As part of its curating function, the Global Observatory collects, summarizes, and sorts resources relevant to the ethics and governance of emerging biotechnologies. Use the “Search and Filter” box on the left side of the page to navigate the resources in this database.
Search and Filter
2015
J. Benjamin Hurlbut , Sheila Jasanoff , Sang-Hyun Kim
Global Observatory Co-Director Ben Hurlbut discusses the ways in which Asilomar crystallizes an imaginary of “governable emergence.” This imaginary posits the relationship between science and the law, where science and technology drive social change while the law lags behind and merely reacts.
2014-10
Sara Reardon
Science writer Sara Reardon discusses the announcement from the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) that it would be instituting a forced moratorium on gain-of-function research on influenza, SARS, and MERS viruses.
2014-10
White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP)
In 2014, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) made the decision to pause funding on certain types of gain-of-function research. Gain-of-function research alters pathogenic organisms to test the ability of pathogens to acquire additional virulence.
2014-04
David H Guston
STS scholar David Guston defines, clarifies, and responds to critiques of “anticipatory governance.” Anticipatory governance is one framework that has gained currency within STS for thinking about how to build the necessary social capacity to govern emerging technologies.
2014
Duncan Wilson
This chapter puts into perspective the sociopolitical context in which the Warnock committee in the UK was formed and the public division it was called to address, as well as key topics that informed the committee’s deliberations.