STAT+: Where ‘democracy met science,’ 50 years ago
Article excerpt
Fifty years after Cambridge's landmark 1976 decision to allow recombinant DNA research, a technology that had sparked fierce public debate about laboratory safety, the city became a symbol of how democratic deliberation could shape scientific progress. The decision, which lifted a ban that had made Cambridge briefly the epicenter of biotech anxiety, cleared the way for genetic engineering to flourish. Today, researchers credit that moment with proving that rigorous public scrutiny and expert input need not halt innovation. The anniversary arrives as recombinant DNA techniques underpin much of modern medicine, from insulin production to mRNA vaccines, validating the scientific community's case that the fears were overblown.
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Good morning. At a Cambridge bar on Saturday, I watched straight-seeming couples congregate by a television showing basketball, while a more queer-coded crowd lingered at another showing soccer. I don’t think that’s anything, really, but it was fun.
This ‘never event’ is happening more frequently
A child born with congenital syphilis could suffer dire consequences: bone deformities, brain damage, blindness, deafness, and more. But that should be a ‘never event’ as public health officials say: A pregnant person can receive an injectable form of penicillin to prevent the infection. Somehow, rates keep going up anyway. Between 2012 and 2024, the U.S. saw an 800% increase in babies born with the disease. And since last year, there’s been a shortage of the drug.
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