In vitro fertilization has opened the path to a new era of reproductive interventions. How did we arrive at a point where we could soon be creating designer babies?

Stanford neuroscientist William B. Hurlbut talks about his dealings with the Chinese researcher who created the world’s first gene-edited babies, and about the implications of that experiment.

In the face of new technology allowing scientists to manipulate genes in human embryos, how will we move forward?

Historian Lisa Vox argues for finding a way to address the threats that face us all. It starts, she says, with not condemning others for holding a different worldview.

Technology gives us access to the universe while at the same time creating risks to our continued existence. Does humankind’s best hope for long-term survival come down to leaving Earth behind?

The chief engineer for NASA’s robotic Mars Exploration Program talks about what it would take to put people on the Red Planet. Will Mars be humanity’s lifeboat?

Mexico City is one of the world’s biggest population centers, yet the city’s infrastructure is extremely unstable. The resulting challenges serve as a warning—and a lesson—to the rest of our urbanizing world.

From genes to geophysics, our world is increasingly what we make it. But environmental philosopher Christopher Preston urges restraint.

If our reliance on technology has accelerated climate change, maybe technology can fix the problem too. Would it work? Should we try it?