J. W. Goethe’s Faust is considered one of the greatest works of world literature. In it, its protagonist, obsessed by the aspiration to obtain the supreme power of wisdom, makes a pact with the Devil, which will have tragic and irreversible consequences for the former. The fundamental precept that Goethe wanted to convey was a warning not to transgress the limits of the power of man and science. A deeply philosophical message, which sought to highlight that the potentialities of human reason are not enough to guarantee man a life in accordance with the moral and religious rules accepted at that time in our civilization.

Genetic engineering and biotechnology are areas of knowledge where humanity has lavishly crossed the limits of Goethe’s warning. In the search for solutions to many diseases and deficiencies, researchers in these fields have approached scenarios where the ethical component of the issue becomes essential, thus imposing the need for an interdisciplinary approach.

In July 1978, the first “test tube baby” was born at the Bourn Hall clinic in Manchester, UK. A milestone in the history of science that opened the possibility of sowing life where it was believed impossible, giving hope to many families who could not have children. The road traveled since then has been extensive and the new facets of the problem have multiplied.

This issue of the journal INTER DISCIPLINA collects works dedicated to reproductive biotechnologies. They have their origin in the conferences presented at an event on the subject held at the end of June 2021, within the framework of the activities of the Latin American Network of Researchers in Reproductive Biotechnologies. A glance at the index of this number allows us to observe the approaches with which the many facets of this topic are addressed today. An interview with the outstanding researcher Aurora González, professor of social anthropology at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, is also published.

The Independent Communications section includes eight works with themes that include the relationship between human beings and their habitat, the cinema of Jean-Luc Godard and Antonin Artaud, the work of José Revueltas, works on obesity, chronic malnutrition, the Covid-19 pandemic and the correspondence of Hispanic women in the 16th and 17th centuries.

The issue also includes two book reviews.