May 31, 2006
Donations Tie Drug Firms and Nonprofits (Philadelphia Inquirer) Artificial Brain Parts on the Horizon (Ivanhoe Newswire) Massachusetts: Healthcare reform isn’t a done deal … until they say it is (Boston Globe) Scientists Asked to Address Theological Questions (Science and Theology … Read More
May 31, 2006
The blog Brainethics has posted a list of academic writings on the topic of neuroethics. The plan is to keep it updated, so it might be something you want to bookmark.
May 30, 2006
$450 Mil. Budget Set for Stem Cell Research (The Korea Times) The high price of women’s eggs (The Arizona Republic) Op-Ed: Stem-Cell Sense — Clear thinking on a stem-cell anniversary (National Review Online) Can Patients’ Own Stem Cells Fight Heart … Read More
May 30, 2006
The latest edition of The New Atlantis has an article that carefully examines and reasons through the arguments put forth in defense of cloning and destructive embryonic stem cell research. I simply cannot do justice to the article by cutting … Read More
May 26, 2006
Unknown US sperm donor passes genetic disorder to five children (BioNews) Combining Mainstream, Alternative Therapies Brings Back Pain Relief (HealthDay) Technology Speeds Paying of Health Bills (New York Times) Op-Ed: Galileo and embryonic stem cells (Tidings) A Seattle School Where … Read More
May 26, 2006
We don’t have to choose between science and ethics. We can continue to pursue both. White House spokesman Ken Lisaius on President Bush’s stated intention to veto legislation, currently under consideration in the Senate and similar to legislation passed by … Read More
May 25, 2006
In Surprise, Mice Get Trait Without Gene (AP) Doctors will transplant a face — but whose? (USA Today) Op-Ed: Promising debate (Washington Times) ADHD drugs send thousands to the ER (MSNBC) IVF pregnancy complication link (BBC) Stem-Cell Research Broadens (Gannett) … Read More
May 24, 2006
The BBC has an interesting look at some current research on “artificial†happiness. Aimed primarily at therapeutic uses such as curing depression or assuaging severe pain, there is the potential for enhancement uses such as artificial happiness or synthetic emotion. … Read More
May 24, 2006
Sleeping Pill Wakes Men In Vegetative State (The Guardian) New Jersey Catholic Hospitals To Support Adult Stem Cell Research (AP) Proponents Press Senate on Stem Cell Research Measure (Washington Post) U.S. Plan to Lure Nurses May Hurt Poor Nations (New … Read More
May 23, 2006
Eighty-year-old Mary Wohlford doesn’t want family members or health care workers to be confused about her wishes should she ever become incapacitated, so she came up with a creative solution: she had the words “DO NOT RESUSCITATE” tattooed on her … Read More
May 23, 2006
Doctors Call Stem Cells ‘Cure’ for Incontinence (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel) What Drugs Do You Take? Hospitals Seek to Collect Better Data and Prevent Errors (Wall Street Journal) Op-Ed: Send in the clones – for a good cause (Channel NewsAsia) Brain … Read More
May 22, 2006
As Babies Are Born Earlier, They Risk Problems Later (Washington Post) Kansas: Umbilical Cord Research Receives Last-Minute Funding (Lawrence Journal-World) For the Families of the Dying, Coaching as the Hours Wane (New York Times) Ireland: Hospital Refuses to Take Stem … Read More
May 22, 2006
I’ve recently become aware of a brief fictional account of life in the genetics era. It’s well worth your time and attention. The life and times of Gene Kilobase A.D. 2005 – 2115
May 19, 2006
Pharma Firms Told to End Secrecy in Drug Trials (Nature) FDA Panel Endorses Cervical Cancer Vaccine (AP) Sperm Donor Seen as Source of Disease in 5 Children (New York Times) UK: Call for Debate on Public Health (BBC) Tiny Toxins? … Read More
May 19, 2006
If we use stem cells that have been taken from an umbilical cord, they have not been conditioned by a person’s immune system. Those cells are much more plastic, and we don’t need as exact a match genetically. — Pediatric … Read More
May 19, 2006
William Saletan, national correspondent for the online magazine Slate confirms what I’ve been saying (here and here): “We’ve just taken another step down the slippery slope toward eugenics . . . And there’s no sign of a foothold ahead that … Read More
May 18, 2006
Inside The Business Of Egg Donation (CBS) Stem-Cell Poll Results Dubious (Citizen Link) Insurance Company OKs Boy’s Umbilical Cord Stem Cell Transplant (KRQE) Despite Hope, Decade of Delay Afflicts Drug to Prevent AIDS (Wall Street Journal) IG: Nursing Homes Not … Read More
May 18, 2006
Debra Spar, a professor at Harvard Business School and author of a The Baby Business: How Money, Science, and Politics Drive the Commerce of Conception, estimates that egg donation is now a $40 million-a-year industry. Not so surprisingly, CBS news … Read More
May 17, 2006
Groups Want Nanotech Sunscreens Pulled (AP) For-Profit Funding May Bias Clinical Trials (HealthDay) I’m the daddy (BBC) Clinic peddles false hope of cure (BBC) Forever Pregnant (Washington Post) Designer Babies? Couples Flock To US To Choose Next Baby’s Sex (AFP) … Read More
May 17, 2006
AFP reports that couples from a number of countries are coming to the US in order to select the sex of their children. The article reviews some common objections to sex selection — embryos of the wrong sex are destroyed, … Read More
May 16, 2006
Problems With Implantable Heart Devices Need More Public Airing (HealthDay) Rising Diabetes Threat Meets a Falling Budget (New York Times) Nancy Reagan again taking lead on stem-cell legislation (AP) Worldwide Couples Head to US to Spend Thousands on Designer Babies … Read More
May 16, 2006
Researchers at Dartmouth Medical School report an interesting finding on healthcare spending for chronically ill patients: more money leads to worse care. Following three types of patients for up to five years after they suffered a heart attack, a fractured … Read More
May 15, 2006
Missouri To Keep Stem-Cell Ballot As Is (Kansas City Star) Illinois: Judge Rejects Challenge to Governor Blagojevich Stem Cell Grants (AP) Designing Children (Wall Street Journal) More Eggs Used in Hwang’s Research Than Previously Found (The Korea Times) Attention Shoppers: … Read More
May 15, 2006
President Bush delivered the commencement address at Oklahoma State University last weekend. In the speech, he talked about changes in technology, which have affected entertainment, education, work, transportation, and medicine. These advances in technology will transform lives — and they … Read More
May 12, 2006
Hwang Charged With Masterminding Fraud (Chosun) South Korean Scientist Charged with Fraud (BBC) Smarter Than Thou? Stanford Conference Ponders A Brave New World With Machines More Powerful Than Their Creators (San Francisco Chronicle) Injected Cells Cure Tumors in Mice (Los … Read More
