April 23, 2007
You might have forgotten this snippet of local news. In 2005, a San Francisco woman gave birth to a baby who as an embryo had been frozen for 13 years. While this may have been perceived as a curiosity, now … Read More
April 23, 2007
Today, the ultimate dream of scientists is to be able to rebuild, in vitro (outside the body), spare parts to replace injured or diseased tissues. The concept that stem cells can give rise to and maintain mature tissues has made … Read More
April 23, 2007
Does a “genetic component” cause a higher rate of premature births among black mothers? Do black people carry certain gene variants that give them weaker hearts? Do Asians have special genes that enable the drug Iressa to fight non-small cell … Read More
April 23, 2007
Immortality is the stuff of legends, but researchers are already working towards the next best thing: living to a ripe old age without having to grow old. Eventually, they say, there would come a time when ageing would become dispensable. … Read More
April 22, 2007
The Swiss assisted suicide group that calls itself Dignitas–which helps kill you for a fee–has agreed to assist the suicide of a man who became quadriplegic in a hate crime. The man is depressed and wants to die–which ironically, would … Read More
April 22, 2007
Assisted suicide advocates like to use that sound bite of all sound bites: “Choice.” But there are three other “C-words” I like to focus on too: Context, consequences, and compassion–in the true root meaning of that wonderful word, which means … Read More
April 21, 2007
Two men needed kidneys. Their respective wives matched the other. Deal struck: Wife one gives a kidney to husband two, and wife two gives a kidney to husband one. We’ve discussed this kind of organ bartering before. I just hope … Read More
April 20, 2007
One gene directs both embryonic and adult stem cells to perform the self-renewal function that is crucial in their potential broad use in medical treatments, researchers said on Thursday. While the biology of these types of stem cells is very … Read More
April 20, 2007
Researchers in Germany have hidden vaccine-grade measles virus inside artificially generated blood cells in order to devise a search-and-destroy therapy for human brain cancer that can’t be “seen” by the immune system. (ScienceDaily)
April 20, 2007
Australian politicians begin their first round of votes this week to decide the fate of a controversial new law that could legalize therapeutic embryonic cloning in the country for the first time. (DrugResearcher)
April 20, 2007
Despite the heated ethical and moral debate, research on embryonic stem cells has been forging ahead at breakneck speed. But before these cells make a dent in the clinic or in drug discovery, researchers must learn how to create cell … Read More
April 20, 2007
A coalition including some advocacy groups and Democratic state lawmakers is reviving efforts to remove barriers on embryonic stem cell research in Michigan. (Boston Globe)
April 20, 2007
We are amidst “Cover the Uninsured Week.” Funded by a conglomeration of unions, corporations, and foundations, the goal of this campaign is to provide health insurance to all of the estimated 47 million Americans who lack it. (TCS Daily)
April 19, 2007
There are many proposals to overcome the organ shortage. One well-meaning but misguided suggestion is “presumed consent,” under which each of us would be presumed to want our organs donated unless we explicitly direct otherwise. In other words, rather than … Read More
April 19, 2007
Belgium legalized euthanasia a few years ago, and has already descended into infanticide. Now euthanasia proponents in the parliament want to legally force hospitals to carry out euthanasia in their facilities even if the patient’s own doctor refuses. From the … Read More
April 19, 2007
Baby Emilio Gonzales will continue to receive life-sustaining treatment, at least until May 8, as the hearing to obtain a permanent injunction against the imposition of a futile care withdrawal of treatment has been postponed.
April 19, 2007
Given the heat and extent of the public debate, it is tempting to view cloning and stem cell research as the be all and end all of biotechnology. But so much is happening that is not deeply ethically contentious. (Yes, … Read More
April 19, 2007
The mother of a three-year-old Leicestershire leukaemia sufferer is calling for funding to help hospitals build up banks of umbilical cord blood. (BBC)
April 19, 2007
Tissue studies indicate that nanoparticles, engineered materials about a billionth of a meter in size, could damage DNA and lead to cancer, according to research presented at the 2007 Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research. (ScienceDaily)
April 19, 2007
The author of a new study on changing human bone marrow stem cells into immature sperm cells is optimistic that his work will eventually allow infertile men and lesbian couples to conceive by producing their own sperm. (ABC News)
April 19, 2007
Scientists in the United Kingdom have developed a way to monitor the health of individual cells by recording their electrical activity in much the same way that an electrocardiogram (EKG) monitors the heart. They say that the technique could revolutionize … Read More
April 19, 2007
A robotic caterpillar has been designed which can crawl across the surface of the heart to deliver treatment. (BBC)
April 19, 2007
In what is considered a world first, Melanie Boivin has donated her eggs to her daughter who is sterile because of a genetic condition called Turner’s syndrome. (The Gazette)
April 19, 2007
Russia will pour over $1 billion into equipment for nanotechnology research over the next three years as it uses massive oil and gas export earnings to diversify an economy now heavily dependent on raw materials, First Deputy Prime Minister Sergei … Read More
April 19, 2007
Science journalists need a code of ethics if they are to communicate increasingly complicated science accurately, delegates at the 5th World Conference of Science Journalists were told yesterday (17 April). (SciDev.Net)
