BioNews is PET's flagship publication, providing news, comment and reviews on the science, law and ethics of reproduction and genetics. The BioNews newsletter is sent to subscribers by email at the beginning of each week. Subscribe to the newsletter for free here.
First published in 1999, BioNews has an impressive reach, and is read in 44 countries by more than 18,000 readers. 'Unmissable', 'provocative', 'invaluable', 'current', 'honest', 'fair' and 'controversial' are just some of the ways our readers describe BioNews:
Pregnant women with the eating disorder anorexia nervosa are at much higher risk of premature birth, delivering underweight babies and other complications...
Women who have children after having breast cancer are not risking their survival, a new study has shown...
The largest study of its kind has found no difference in pregnancy rates between intrauterine insemination (IUI) cycles using fresh or frozen sperm...
A large-scale study comparing two protocols for stimulating the ovaries in IVF has found that one has a lower risk of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome, a potentially serious complication of IVF treatment...
The US Supreme Court has overturned the landmark Roe v Wade decision, which could affect the provision of IVF in some states...
The BioHacked: Family Secrets episode three, The Birth of the Sperm Bank, podcast starts in an unusual place: a cowshed...
Prior to 2020, genetic mutations weren't something that regularly made the news. Now, two-and-a-half years out from the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, new genetic variants continue to hit the headlines, and genomic mutations – in a virus, at least – are something the public are much more aware of...
A recent episode of Genetics Unzipped 'Have a heart: the science of xenotransplantation' talked about the process of transplanting organs from animals into human bodies...
'I walk around, and I could be related to anyone' says Jacoba Ballard, a donor-conceived adult, of her neighbourhood in Indianapolis...
The BBC's CrowdScience podcast calls on listeners to ask the scientific questions they've always wanted answered, from medicine, to the Earth and beyond. In the latest episode of the series, host Caroline Steel delves into the world of genome editing, from success stories in the clinic, to the pragmatic ethical concerns...
BioNews, published by the Progress Educational Trust(PET), provides news and comment on genetics, assisted conception, embryo/stem cell research and related areas.
Latest Comment
All CommentWidening the debate about direct-to-consumer genetic testing and donor conception
by Leah Gilman
Last month the HFEA said that it is considering, as part of a review of the HFE Act, whether to recommend removing the age restrictions (currently 18) at which donor-conceived people can access identifying information about their donor...
Join PET and Genomics England to celebrate the 200th birthday of Gregor Mendel
by Sarah Norcross
Later this month, PET – the charity that publishes BioNews – will be celebrating a very special occasion in partnership with Genomics England. 20 July 2022 will be the 200th birthday of genetics pioneer Gregor Mendel (1822-1884)...
Thirty years of PET: our 'Fertility, Genomics and Embryo Research' report
by Sarah Norcross
PET turns 30 this year, but our story goes back further than that – at least as far back as the birth of Louise Brown in 1978, the world's first IVF baby...
Children's rights and donor conception: What next?
by Dr Katherine Wade
There have been recent reports that the UK's assisted reproduction regulator, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, is considering changing the law surrounding donor anonymity, due to the growing use of consumer genetic testing...
The problems with lifting donor anonymity earlier
by Dr Sue Avery
A possible review of the law relating to donor anonymity has been proposed by HFEA chief executive Peter Thompson...