The global scourge of discarded plastic—from macro- to microscopic—is finally starting to get the attention it deserves.

The idea of matter as the basis of everything may seem beyond question. But a solely material view of the world doesn’t fill the enduring human need to understand why we’re here and what it all signifies.

Medical doctor Robert Klitzman talks about our increasing ability to design babies to our personal specifications.

Part 2: David Hulme interviews Achim Dobermann of Rothamsted Research about how agriculture will need to change if we hope to feed the world’s growing population.

Part 1: David Hulme interviews Achim Dobermann of Rothamsted Research about the effect of agriculture on our planet and how it will need to change if we hope to feed the world’s growing population.

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

Researchers and policy makers around the world struggle to lead human germ-line editing into the future.

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?

Insight Video: If warnings about environmental disaster or the threat of war seem overly alarmist—that things always work out in the end—maybe it’s time to think again.