In the Media

Public Commentary

• Neurophotonics, “Mind, brain, body, and neuroethics: a conversation with Karen Rommelfanger.” (2022)

• NPR Science Friday, “Difficult Brain Science Brings Difficult Ethical Questions.” March 25, 2022. https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/brain-science-ethics/

• IEEE Spectrum, “Worldwide Campaign for Neurorights Notches Its First Win.” December 18, 2021. https://spectrum.ieee.org/neurotech-neurorights#toggle-gdpr

• Scientific American, “Welcome to the Ultimate Neuroscience Laboratory: Your Smartphone.” September 14, 2021. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/welcome-to-the-ultimate-neuroscience-lab-your-smartphone/

• Reuters, “Out of my mind: Advances in brain tech spur calls for ‘neuro-rights’.” March 29, 2021. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-global-tech-lawmaking-analysis-trfn/out-of-my-mind-advances-in-brain-tech-spur-calls-for-neuro-rights-idUSKBN2BL1RH

• World Economic Forum Agenda, “How neuroethics can advance innovations for positive social impact.” March 29, 2021. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/03/neuroethics-can-advance-neuro-innovations-for-social-impact/

• ScienceNews, “Can privacy coexist with technology that reads and changes brain activity?” Feb 11, 2021. https://www.sciencenews.org/article/technology-brain-activity-read-change-thoughts-privacy-ethics

• Here & Now, NPR “New Guidelines Needed for Neurotechnology” Feb 1, 2021. https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2021/02/01/neurotechnology-ethics

• Science News, “Living brain tissue experiments raise new kinds of ethical questions” February 17, 2020. https://www.sciencenews.org/article/living-brain-tissue-experiments-ethics-neuroscience

• Science, “How to donate a piece of your brain to science—while you’re still alive” February 15, 2020. https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/02/how-donate-piece-your-brain-science-while-you-re-still-alive

• The Atlantic, “Scientists Partly Restore Activity in Dead-Pig Brains” April 17, 2019. https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2019/04/scientists-partly-restore-activity-dead-pig-brains/587329/

• The Epoch Times, “Are These Not the Creepiest Chinese Scientific Experiments Ever Known to Man?” January 15, 2019. https://www.theepochtimes.com/are-these-not-the-creepiest-chinese-scientific-experiments-ever-known-to-man_2767042.html?fbclid=IwAR2YGfi52uuF_JRYL0phxDffE3qOqQC6AvdVVEz9gwgLmvdgft3qXmszhVo

• Neurology Today, “Ask the Neuroethicist: Expanding Research with Mini-brains Elicits Ethicist’s Questions” April 19, 2018. https://journals.lww.com/neurotodayonline/Fulltext/2018/04190/Ask_the_Neuroethicist__Expanding_Research_with.4.aspx

• The Epoch Times, “China Cloning: The Message in the Monkeys” January 30, 2018. https://www.theepochtimes.com/china-cloning-the-message-in-the-monkeys_2425658.html

• The Singularity Hub, “Neuroscience Could Bring Us Eternal Bliss, But Is That a Good Thing?”  December 6, 2017. https://singularityhub.com/2017/12/06/neuroscience-could-bring-us-eternal-bliss-but-is-that-a-good-thing/#sm.000pfnoytv2vfep10c61h70nzjand

• Gizmodo, If You Transplant a Human Head, Where Do You Get the Body? November 24, 2017. https://gizmodo.com/if-you-transplant-a-human-head-where-do-you-get-the-bo-1820694174

• The Epoch Times, “‘Head Transplant’ Research in China Raises Serious Concerns,” November 22, 2017. https://www.theepochtimes.com/head-transplant-research-in-china-raises-serious-concerns-including-over-source-of-bodies_2363981.html

• Newsweek, “Head Transplants: Sergio Canavero Is About to Perform the First Human Surgery—and There’s Nothing to Stop Him, November 16, 2017. https://www.newsweek.com/head-transplant-ethics-why-china-why-now-712331

•  The Boston Globe, “What health and medical experts say about the advice in Tom Brady’s new book.” October 23, 2017. https://www.boston.com/sports/new-england-patriots/2017/10/22/experts-review-of-the-tb12-method

•  Gizmodo, “DARPA’s Brain Chip Implants Could Be the Next Big Mental Health Breakthrough—Or a Total Disaster,” March 6, 2017. https://gizmodo.com/darpa-s-brain-chips-could-be-the-next-big-mental-health-1791549701

•  Wired ReWrite, “The future of IoT (Internet of Things) You,” February 22, 2017. https://www.ca.com/us/modern-software-factory/content/the-future-of-iot-you.html

• CBC Radio, “How brain-machine connections can help paraplegics move again”, September 27, 2016. https://www.cbc.ca/radio/thecurrent/the-current-for-july-12-2017-1.4199644/encore-how-brain-machine-connections-can-help-paraplegics-move-again-1.4200811

• Spectrum (Editorially independent media source of the Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative), “U.S. aims to overhaul ethics rule for research with people,” December 17, 2015. https://www.spectrumnews.org/news/u-s-aims-to-overhaul-ethics-rules-for-research-with-people/

• The New York Times, “Scientist Demonstrate Animal Mind Melds,” July 9, 2015 online (in print on July 14, 2015 ScienceTimes  D1, pg. 4). https://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/14/science/scientists-demonstrate-animal-mind-melds.html

• Quo (Mexico City), “Cuerpo y mente unidos por un chip” (Body and mind united on a chip), November 2014, pg. 41-44.

• Medical Ethics Advisor on predictive assessments for brain disorders. September 2014 Volume 30(9), pg. 97-108. https://www.reliasmedia.com/articles/118929-preclinical-detection-of-brain-disorders-presents-multiple-challenges

• USA Today, “Light can switch bad memories to good,” August 27, 2014. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/08/27/memories-nature-mit/14591519/

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Public Scholarship

• Rommelfanger KS and Fernandez A. 3 Ways to Protect Your Mental Health Before and After Covid. April 13, 2020. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/04/three-ways-to-protect-your-mental-health-from-covid-19/  *Also translated into Spanish. https://es.weforum.org/agenda/2020/04/tres-habitos-de-higiene-mental-para-vencer-al-covid-19-y-crear-un-futuro-mas-saludable/

• Rommelfanger KS. Neuroethics goes global. The Human Brain Project Ethics Blog. February 12, 2019. https://ethicsblog.crb.uu.se/2019/02/12/neuroethics-goes-global/

• Rommelfanger KS and Fernandez A. We need to rethink neuroscience. And you can help us. The Agenda. World Economic Forum blog. November 10, 2018. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2018/11/rethink-neuroscience-you-can-help/

• Rommelfanger KS and Boshears P. Human Head Transplants are about to happen in China: But where are the bodies coming from? Newsweek November 16, 2017. https://www.newsweek.com/head-transplant-ethics-why-china-why-now-712331

• Rommelfanger KS and Sarrett J. Are we ready for a test that could ‘pre-diagnose’ autism in babies? The Conversation July 31, 2015. https://theconversation.com/are-we-ready-for-a-test-that-could-pre-diagnose-autism-in-babies-44821

• Rommelfanger KS. Does this lab coat make me look fat? The Chronicle for Higher Education October 23, 2012. https://www.chronicle.com/blogs/conversation/2012/10/23/does-this-lab-coat-make-me-look-fat/

• Rommelfanger KS. Take two placebo pills and call me in the morning. Huffington Post July 3, 2012. https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/take-two-placebo-pills-an_b_1631122

• Rommelfanger KS. Placebo for psychogenic illnesses: Why “It’s all in my head does and doesn’t matter”. Nature (Science Soapbox) July 18, 2012. http://blogs.nature.com/soapboxscience/2012/07/18/placebo-for-psychogenic-illnesses-why-its-all-in-my-head-does-and-doesnt-matter