From pathogen research to geoengineering and AI, consequential science is accelerating. Whose hands are on the wheel?

Experiments that make viruses more virulent or contagious present significant risks. Are those risks worth the rewards?

Farmers and health experts say it’s complicated. RFK Jr.’s milk adviser, Mark McAfee, says he’s up for the challenge.

To receive federal funding, such high-risk work — sometimes called “gain of function” — must be evaluated by a government committee. That committee follows a framework that was influenced by guidance ...