October 29, 2007
About two-dozen representatives from state and federal governments were in Cambridge last week as part of a fledgling campaign to improve collaboration among stem cell scientists by identifying barriers to sharing research material across state lines. What’s legal in one … Read More
October 29, 2007
In a reversal from past election cycles, Democratic candidates for president are outpacing Republicans in donations from the health care industry, even as the leading Democrats in the field offer proposals that have caused deep anxiety in some of its … Read More
October 29, 2007
More and more people in the UK are following America’s lead in spending hundreds of pounds on private genetic tests. (BBC)
October 29, 2007
President Bush and other critics of a $35 billion spending increase for children’s health insurance say they’ll support expanding coverage to families of four making as much as $62,000 a year, but they want to limit states’ ability to go … Read More
October 29, 2007
A woman with severe depression walks into her doctor’s office. He plucks a hair from her head to test her DNA. Later that day, after scanning the results, he prescribes the antidepressant drug that should work best for her. So … Read More
October 29, 2007
A San Carlos startup is offering to create “personalized” stem cells from the spare embryos of fertility clinic clients on the chance that the cells, frozen and stored away, may some day help a family member benefit from medical breakthroughs. … Read More
October 29, 2007
The new pharmacopoeia offers people too much knowledge and control for one-size-fits-all health care to cope with. (City Journal)
October 28, 2007
I have a piece in the current Weekly Standard about the “food and fluids” controversy, an issue I have repeatedly considered. I hit several notes in the article. I challenge the falsehood that the federal bill to save Terri Schiavo’s … Read More
October 28, 2007
Remember when the vaccine was developed to protect against the virus that causes cervical cancer? And remember the drive by Merck Pharmaceutical to make inoculations of 12-year-old girls mandatory?–a campaign assisted by by too many politicians and media commentators for … Read More
October 27, 2007
The UK’s NHS is in a meltdown. I didn’t blog it due to traveling, but did you see the story that people are pulling their own teeth because they can’t get good dental care through the NHS? And now, apparently … Read More
October 27, 2007
Take this story with a huge grain of salt: Apparently a professor has warned that due to transhumanist-like modifications and eugenic mating decisions (my words), the human race will split into two branches, one beautiful, intelligent, and lithe, the other … Read More
October 26, 2007
“The scientists,” by which I mean the politicized advocates for a financial and ethical blank check in human cloning, genetic engineering, and other awesomely powerful biotechnologies, are upset. The poor babies are grousing about the potential for government regulation–in the … Read More
October 26, 2007
“AT THIS point I’ll try anything I can to have a child,” says Emma*, a 38-year-old teacher from London. Emma faces a similar problem to many women: her ovaries produce too few ripe eggs for doctors to extract and use … Read More
October 26, 2007
A US-based laboratory is using scientific, randomised trials — more often associated with clinical trials for drugs — to test which interventions are best when it comes to tackling poverty-related issues. (SciDev.Net)
October 26, 2007
New drugs that are currently in clinical trials for muscle-wasting diseases could become the next big thing for athletes. (Technology Review)
October 26, 2007
The scale of the forensic revolution is causing unease in Britain, where the Government is considering casting the DNA testing net wider by allowing police to take swabs from people committing minor crimes, like dropping litter. (ABC News)
October 26, 2007
Imagine this futuristic courtroom scene. The defence barrister stands up, and pointing to his client in the dock, makes this plea: “The case against Mr X must be dismissed. He cannot be held responsible for smashing Mr Y’s face into … Read More
October 26, 2007
The 2001 film A.I.: Artificial Intelligence imagines our world in a not-too-distant future. In it, robots have become an essential part of humanity, serving its ever-increasing needs. But as one might expect, their service is not welcomed by all, and … Read More
October 26, 2007
Once again defying a veto threat from President Bush, the House on Thursday passed a bill to provide health insurance for 10 million children. But supporters did not have enough votes to override the promised veto. (New York Times)
October 26, 2007
Excessive regulation of science is damaging public confidence in research by creating a misleading impression that most of it is dangerous or ethically dubious, say working scientists. (Times Online)
October 25, 2007
Alta Charo is a wild booster of ESCR and human cloning research. We have gotten along fine when I have debated her, even when she accused me in a luncheon keynote address at last year’s Albany bioethics conference of being … Read More
October 25, 2007
A mother has given birth to twins using a revolutionary new fertility treatment for the first time in the UK. (BBC)
October 25, 2007
Stem-cell researchers in Italy are worried that a shake-up of the country’s bioethics advisory body could hinder a balanced representation of their ethical position on embryonic stem-cell research. (Premium:Nature)
October 25, 2007
Serious medical errors don’t just affect the health of the patient, they can quickly destroy the patient’s relationship with his or her doctor, too, experts say. (HealthDay)
October 25, 2007
House members are about to learn whether some nips and tucks to a children’s health bill will be enough to secure a veto-proof margin against a White House that wants major surgery. (AP)
