Developments in the last several years have sparked renewed interest in the ethics of research involving humans. Issues relating to the global extent of research and its guiding principles are of particular importance to researchers, health officials, and individual ethics committees who want a deeper and more encompassing inquire regarding the foundation and evolution of human research. This department of CQ launches a long overdue effort to explore these wider issues. Readers are invited to submit papers to Charles MacKay, 5011 Worthington Drive, Bethesda, MD 20816, USA. E-mail: [email protected].Without intending to suggest their endorsement of my arguments, I wish to thank my colleagues in the CTRG group and two anonymous referees. This work was funded by the Canadian Institute of Health Research.