I agree—politicians are the LAST people who should be making these kinds of decisions. Unfortunately, any kind of "ethics committee" would be more politics and less ethics in the style of the EPA, so I'm not sure of any realistic way to actually address the problem.

I agree—scientists are taught to push the boundaries of the possible without wondering if it's the right thing to do. "Can" and "should" are two completely different concepts. (I'm thinking of the H-bomb, in particular, and scientists like Feynman who didn't necessarily think about whether or not they SHOULD build a…