Biotechnology

commentary

Digital Health Products Miss a Massive and Crucial Piece of a Person's Health

Our health is heavily influenced by our surroundings—including the health of the people around us. For digital health companies to credibly claim to improve people's health, their next step could be an increased willingness to look beyond an individualized notion of health and to work with public health agencies.

Douglas Yeung @DouglasCYeung

commentary

Biotechnology and Today's Warfighter

Biotechnology has a broad and often misunderstood scope, one with significant implications for today's warfighter, and it may be reaching a critical junction. As it continues to mature, proactive policy becomes necessary for the federal government to leverage emerging capabilities effectively and remain competitive.

Timothy Marler, Daniel M. Gerstein @Daniel_Gerstein

blog

'Internet of Bodies,' COVID-19 as a Preexisting Condition, Preventive Health Care: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on the potential risks and benefits of the 'Internet of Bodies,' what might happen if the ACA is struck down and COVID-19 is considered a preexisting condition, a drop in the use of preventive care, and more.

article

The Internet of Bodies Will Change Everything, for Better or Worse

The rise of devices that connect the human body to the web is accelerating rapidly. This Internet of Bodies could revolutionize health care and improve our quality of life. But without appropriate guardrails, it could also jeopardize our most intimate personal information and introduce several ethical concerns.

blog

Voting in a Pandemic, the U.S. Postal Service, Defunding the Police: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on Americans' views about voting in the age of COVID-19, what makes the U.S. Postal Service so essential, why some in law enforcement may be open to “defunding the police,” and more.

article

Brain-Computer Interfaces Are Coming. Will We Be Ready?

Brain-computer interfaces give humans the ability to directly control machines with their minds. Before this emerging technology matures, it's important for developers to weigh the opportunities against the risks.

commentary

Can the Bioweapons Convention Survive Crispr?

Crispr is a biotechnology that's making genetic editing easier, cheaper, and far more accessible, but it has also been called a major security threat. Do such advances in biotechnology make the bioweapons convention obsolete?

Daniel M. Gerstein @Daniel_Gerstein

commentary

How to Handle the Infectious Diseases Threat

The reactive approach to emerging infectious disease should be augmented with an anticipatory model that accounts for the dramatic changes occurring through globalization, greater interactions between human and zoonotic populations, and changes to the environment and climate patterns.

Daniel M. Gerstein @Daniel_Gerstein

commentary

A New Model for Open Innovation: The Structural Genomics Consortium

Open innovation is often suggested as a solution to enhance productivity in under-performing areas of research. Now, the strengths and weaknesses of a new open innovation model in drug discovery have been evaluated.

Sophie Castle-Clarke

commentary

Perceptions of Food That Are an Ocean Apart

Published commentary by RAND staff.

Felicia Wu

commentary

The Weapons of Mass Creation

Published commentary by RAND staff.

Caroline S. Wagner