Global #FoodEthics and Policy Program Weekly Roundup | Rice, CRISPR-Edited Plants, New SNAP Rules, Animal Welfare Laws, Genetic Superpower, American Meat Consumption Paradox, Edible Insect Species, Barriers & Solutions, + More mailchi.mp/jhu/we3frp22...

Health Experts ‘Stunned’ by Trump Officials’ Strict Quarantine Measures. Public health experts say the administration’s quarantine orders go beyond what is needed to prevent the U.S. spread of Ebola and hantavirus. www.nytimes.com/2026/05/21/u...

'We'll never know if he could have been saved.' The gaps in Trump's rural health fund | NPR www.npr.org/2026/05/22/n...

An overflow crowd at the Center for Brooklyn History last night for 'Life, Death & Bioethics' - an event celebrating the launch of Season 2 of playing god? podcast featuring @jeffkahnbioethics.bsky.social, @amastroi.bsky.social & Lauren Arora Hutchinson. Listen now: bioethics.jhu.edu/research-and...

Hearing bombshell: Acting director of NIH’s infectious disease institute is out. Jeffery Taubenberger’s departure from a leadership position caps year of upheaval at National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. | Science | AAAS www.science.org/content/arti...

The US’s Most Concerning Anti-Vaccine Policy - The Trump administration is slow-walking immunization for kids around the world. | The Atlantic www.theatlantic.com/health/2026/...

Trump Cancels Signing of Executive Order Granting Oversight of AI Models. The president said he postponed the executive order, which would give the government power to evaluate A.I. models before their release, over concerns about “aspects of it.” | The New York Times www.nytimes.com/2026/05/21/t...

hyper_object, a new immersive neuro-theater performance created, written & directed by Professor Graham Sack in collaboration with an interdisciplinary team from across @jhu.edu, premieres June 4, 7p, Hopkins Bloomberg Center in Wash, DC. Info & free tix: bioethics.jhu.edu/events/hyper...

COVID is shaping Americans' reaction to Ebola and hantavirus. | NPR www.npr.org/2026/05/21/n...

Colorado Charts Its Own Course on Vaccines Amid Federal Pullback | KFF Health News - NPR kffhealthnews.org/public-healt...

U.S. researchers face new restrictions on publishing with foreign collaborators | Science | AAAS www.science.org/content/arti...

Trump Plans to Sign Executive Order Granting Oversight of AI Models. The executive order, which would signal a shift from the hands-off approach the White House previously took, follows debates over how to gain control over AI models without disrupting innovation. www.nytimes.com/2026/05/21/t...

Federal funding delays are harming science irreparably, researchers say | NPR www.npr.org/2026/05/21/n...

Dark times ahead at the FDA: With three key posts filled with acting leaders, it seems the FDA can only go downhill - By Paul Knoepfler | STAT Opinion - Lab Dish www.statnews.com/2026/05/21/f... via @statnews.com

Get the Federal Science Money Flowing: The NIH has been holding back grants from funds Congress has already approved. By Ron Daniels and Doug Girod | WSJ www.wsj.com/opinion/get-...

AI Ethics & Governance Weekly Roundup | Seeking to Relax Safeguards, Sustainability, Breaking Containment, Loosening Secrecy, What AI Kant Do, Persuading AI Models, No Guardrails, Civic Grammar for AI Rights, False Promise? + Much More mailchi.mp/eaa3d48d9bd1...

Ethics and Life Sciences Weekly Roundup | Disembodied Human Brains, AI Brain Implants, Good Science with Humans, Relaxing Safeguards, Robotaxi Crash Data, Neural Organoids, AI Designed Viruses, Toxins, and other Bioweapons, Artificial Egg, + Much More mailchi.mp/jhu/sciencee...

Rubio criticizes WHO’s Ebola response as US continues sweeping public health cuts. The departure of the US from the WHO led to the loss of nearly a quarter of the WHO’s workforce – about 2000 jobs – from a total staff of about 9400. | The Guardian www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

The 2026 Commencement ceremony is tomorrow! For further details about all commencement activities, FAQs, and livestream information, visit https://commencement.jhu.edu/.

Fetal gene therapy’s progress calls into question the taboo on embryo editing. “If we satisfy safety and uncertainty concerns, why should we not go forward? We still continue to, I think, wrestle with this question,” said @jeffkahnbioethics.bsky.social | Endpoints News endpoints.news/fetal-gene-t...

Hmm. Disembodied brains for drug testing - "The brains are already almost devoid of the coordinated neural firing necessary even for minimal consciousness... But the company also forestalls any electrical activity with the anesthetic propofol, among other measures." www.science.org/content/arti...

Wearable robot boosts strength of children with spinal muscular atrophy. The device helps muscle recovery in those receiving gene therapy for the rare neuromuscular condition. www.nature.com/articles/d41...

AI ‘scientists’ promise to accelerate research — how do they work? www.nature.com/articles/d41...

The Enhanced Games Are Paying Athletes Well – Too Well. by Byron Hyde | Hastings Center #Bioethics Forum Essay www.thehastingscenter.org/the-enhanced...

This week, our friends at the NIA IMPACT Collaboratory will host Stephanie Morain of the @bermaninstitute.bsky.social for a Grand Rounds presentation on ePCTs and health systems’ ethical obligations. Join us! 🔗 duke.is/ptcnews20260...

First They Brought Back Dire Wolves. Next Up? Artificial Wombs. Science start-up Colossal is on a mission to make animals “productionized” — getting rid of the need for eggs or wombs. - With comments from @jeffkahnbioethics.bsky.social | Rolling Stone ca.rollingstone.com/culture/cult...

Kennedy Fires Leaders of Key Health Task Force. The health secretary has undermined the work of the US Preventive Services Task Force over the past year. www.nytimes.com/2026/05/20/w...

Berman Institute Bioethics Bulletin - This Week - Second Season of 'playing god?' Podcast Premieres, Life - Death - #Bioethics, hyper_object, Not Without Humans, Hard to Contain, Steep Drop in Coverage, HIV-Free Generation? Understaffed NIH, + Much More mailchi.mp/jhu/bioethic...

‘Perfect Storm’: How Trump's Aid Cuts Are Fueling the Ebola Outbreak. One health provider who works on the ground says that basic medical equipment like masks and hand sanitizers are in short supply due to funding cuts. | WIRED www.wired.com/story/how-tr...

Why AI cannot do good science without humans. With the arrival of ‘AI scientists’, it’s as well to remember that human wisdom, empathy and sheer messiness are as much part of progress as are process and efficiency. | Nature - Editorial www.nature.com/articles/d41...

This Ebola Outbreak Will Be Hard to Contain. The world is already playing catch-up to a deadly disease. | The Atlantic www.theatlantic.com/health/2026/...

Event: Life, Death, and #Bioethics - Thu, May 21, 6:30-8p, Join the Center for Brooklyn History to celebrate the launch of Season 2 of 'playing god?' w/@jeffkahnbioethics.bsky.social, @amastroi.bsky.social & Lauren Arora Hutchinson. More info & free registration: www.bklynlibrary.org/calendar/cbh...

Second season of award-winning 'playing god?' podcast released. The Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics' podcast explores complex #bioethics questions through first-person storytelling. | Johns Hopkins Hub hub.jhu.edu/2026/05/19/a... @jeffkahnbioethics.bsky.social @amastroi.bsky.social

With no approved vaccine for Ebola outbreak, experts weigh testing a long shot. Animal study suggests Merck’s Ervebo, designed for another strain of the virus, may offer some protection. www.statnews.com/2026/05/18/e... via @statnews.com

Join us now! jh.zoom.us/j/9700524704...

As many as 5 million people who buy health insurance on the Affordable Care Act marketplaces may drop their coverage this year, according to a new analysis from KFF, the nonpartisan health research organization. | NPR www.npr.org/2026/05/19/n...

China moves AI brain implants from trials towards real-world use. Chinese start-up firms are supercharging their efforts to develop algorithms for brain–computer interfaces that help people to walk and talk. www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Could this synthetic egg bring back extinct birds? Researchers urge caution. Colossal Biosciences says its artificial egg has de-extinction and conservation potential. www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Neanderthal Dentistry, and the Scientist Glad Not to Have Experienced It. The prehistoric hominins “apparently were very adept at what we would consider invasive medicine,” said the anthropologist John Olsen. www.nytimes.com/2026/05/19/s...

Scientists play catch-up to startling Ebola outbreak | Science | AAAS www.science.org/content/arti...

Ebola strain spreading in Congo and Uganda has no approved vaccine theconversation.com/ebola-strain...

New SNAP rules requiring that benefits be used at stores selling healthier food could backfire theconversation.com/new-snap-rul...

How Not to Address Planetary Health Concerns in the Health Research Enterprise - Jake Earl, Travis Rieder, Colin Hickey | AJOB Open Peer Commentary www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Join us TODAY at Noon EDT for Ethics for Lunch Online: Case Presentation & Discussion, "Decisions Before the Crisis: Mental Health Advance Directives" - Free and open to all, link for more info and to join via Zoom: mailchi.mp/jhu/z6pu34uy...

What happens when a loved one asks for help to die? The latest “playing god?” explores Medical Aid in Dying through journalist Esmé Deprez’s personal story and conversations with bioethicist @jeffkahnbioethics.bsky.social & physician Jennifer Eitingon. Listen now: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/p...

Our Country Is Eroding Its Health Insurance Safety Net While Americans Need It More than Ever - Petrie-Flom Center petrieflom.law.harvard.edu/2026/05/18/o...

How a Funding Pause Derailed an Artificial Heart for Babies. James Antaki’s efforts to develop a baby’s heart were close to success when his federal funding was cut off. The grants were eventually restored; rebuilding what was lost wasn’t so easy. www.nytimes.com/2026/05/18/w...

Children’s Mental Health Visits Have Shot Up, Research Shows. Doctor’s visits for children’s anxiety rose by more than 250 percent over 10 years, according to a study of nearly two million children. www.nytimes.com/2026/05/18/s...

Race begins to trial Ebola drugs amid current outbreak www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Kids Keep Getting Stuck in Hospitals, Even After Being Cleared for Discharge. Across the country, the practice of allowing children to remain hospitalized “beyond medical necessity” has become a costly problem, and states have struggled to address the issue. kffhealthnews.org/health-indus...