Re-Mission follows the efforts of a microscopic “nanobot” — inspired by Lara Croft, the buxom heroine of Tomb Raider— as she tries to annihilate cancer cells. Players win by taking care of their health: swallowing oral chemotherapies; taking stool softeners to prevent bowel perforations; practicing good oral hygiene to prevent mouth sores. (USA Today)

Nearly half our drinking water could have fluoride added to it under a ’secret’ Government plan.

Dental health chiefs want to add the chemical to 40 per cent of England’s water supply to combat high levels of tooth decay. (Daily Mail)

Most national drugstore chains are opening their own “walk-in” clinics, designed to diagnose and treat minor ailments, offer vaccinations, and prescribe and dispense some medications. (CBS News)

August 8, 2008, 12:00pm – 1:30pm

As the Beijing Olympics get underway, one issue that is unfortunately on many minds is doping. In light of the scandals that have rocked major league baseball, the Tour de France, and past Olympic gold medalists, the Center for American Progress will host a discussion that aims to go past the headlines and put doping into a broader context. Sports doping is just one aspect of a larger discussion about human biological enhancement that has been taking place among those in the medical, bioethics, and sports communities.  (Center for American Progress, Washington, DC)

Genetically modified foods, test-tube babies — the details of genetics can be hard to grasp. The president of the International Genetics Federation told DW-WORLD.DE about genetics’ possibilities and challenges. Alfred Nordheim has chaired of the Department of Molecular Biology at the Interfaculty Institute of Cell Biology at the University of Tuebingen since 1997. He was elected the president of the International Genetics Federation in 2008.  (Deutsche-Welle)

In the health care ministry, difficult ethical problems often arise that threaten human dignity and demand enlightened and informed responses and interventions. Living wills, physician-assisted suicide, human cloning, embryonic stem cell research, organ donation, withdrawal of nutrition and hydration from PVS patients, and allocation of limited health care resources are only a few examples of the many complex situations that arise
in modern clinical and research settings.  (Certification Program Brochure)

Doctors at the Technical University of Munich have conducted the world’s first double-arm transplant on a 54-year-old farmer who had lost both his arms in an accident, officials said. After transplant surgery, this farmer has new arms. His condition “is very good under the circumstances.” (CNN)