October 17, 2007
Nobel Laureate James Watson is an out-and-out eugenicist who has urged that genetic engineering be used, for example, to rid the world of stupid people, and said that “some anti-Semitism is justified.” None of his eugenicist comments put him in … Read More
October 17, 2007
Assembling nanomaterials with the help of innocuous viruses could lead to threadlike batteries and photovoltaics that can be woven into clothing. (Technology Review)
October 17, 2007
A gene-silencing technique that stops sperm binding to eggs might one day translate into an entirely new type of contraceptive, say researchers. (New Scientist)
October 17, 2007
Italy’s highest appeals court has ordered a retrial in a controversial case involving a man who wants to end his daughter’s 15-year coma by removing the drip which is keeping her alive. The Cassation Court said a person’s right to … Read More
October 17, 2007
The Human Genetics Commission (HGC) is an independent body, which was established in 1999. Its role is to consider the ethical, social and legal implications of advances in human genetics, to listen to the public and to advise ministers on … Read More
October 17, 2007
More than half of department chairs at U.S. medical schools and teaching hospitals have financial ties with the drug industry, a new study finds. (HealthDay)
October 17, 2007
Women should not freeze their eggs in order to delay motherhood to pursue their career or because they have yet to meet Mr Right, leading fertility experts say. (Telegraph)
October 17, 2007
In a magazine arriving in mailboxes this week, National Institutes of Health Director Elias A. Zerhouni suggests that embryonic stem cell research should be expanded. (Washington Post)
October 16, 2007
Journal of the American Geriatrics Society Vol. 55 Issue s2 (October 2007) is now available. Articles include: “Introduction to the Assessing Care of Vulnerable Elders-3 Quality Indicator Measurement Set” by Neil S. Wenger, MD, MPH, Carol P. Roth, RN, MPH, … Read More
October 16, 2007
I guess parents aren’t for raising kids anymore, just housing them. A Maine school wants authority to issue contraceptives to 11 year-olds without parental notification. From the story: Students who have parental permission to be treated at King Middle School’s … Read More
October 16, 2007
Fact, it has been said, is stranger than fiction. And fiction can be pretty strange. Take, for instance, an 1896 novel by famous English thinker, H.G. Wells, “The Island of Dr. Moreau.” As one can see from the date of … Read More
October 16, 2007
A pioneering technique to strengthen the crumbling joints of patients who need a second hip replacement could help thousands of people every year, scientists claim. (Telegraph)
October 16, 2007
In the biggest domestic policy clash of President Bush’s tenure, the House on Thursday will attempt against long odds to override Bush’s veto of a bipartisan $35 billion expansion that would boost the popular program’s enrollment from 6.6 million to … Read More
October 16, 2007
A US firm’s controversial proposition to store stem cells from spare IVF embryos has angered UK scientists. (BBC)
October 16, 2007
Abandoning their facade of cooperation, a coalition of California labor unions and consumer groups says it is gearing up a campaign to discredit Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s healthcare proposal as too expensive for many workers. (Los Angeles Times)
October 15, 2007
William Hurlbut, a physician and ethicist, is best known as a member of the President’s Council on Bioethics. Though he has spoken out against the destruction of embryos for research purposes, he is nonetheless a supporter of Âembryonic-stem-cell research. He … Read More
October 15, 2007
This just in: Bone marrow stem cells may help in the field of hip replacements. Okay, As you were. Scientists have some cloning to do.
October 15, 2007
I think Bobby Schindler is right. There have been a lot of stories of late about how supposedly vegetative patients could understand, or of “miraculous” awakenings by people who doctors were sure would never react consciously again. Bobby, Terri Schiavo’s … Read More
October 15, 2007
I’M SITTING in a darkened hall listening to neuroscientist Anders Sandberg describe how to scan ultra-thin sections of brain. First, embed the brain in plastic, then use a camera combined with laser beam and diamond blade to capture images of … Read More
October 15, 2007
The Catholic Church may seem an unlikely host for an international stem cell symposium, but this June the Catholic University of Korea and the Archdiocese of Seoul hosted a gathering of about 300 scientists and participants from some half-dozen countries … Read More
October 15, 2007
The free Web site, debuting today, also defines and depicts “stimming,” echolalia and other confusing-sounding terms that describe autistic behavior. Stimming refers to repetitive, self-stimulating or soothing behavior, including hand-flapping and rocking, that autistic children sometimes do in reaction to … Read More
October 15, 2007
Cyborg insects with embedded microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) will run remotely controlled reconnaissance missions for the military, if its ‘”HI-MEMS” program succeeds. Hybrid-Insect MEMS–a program hatched earlier this year at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa)–aims to harness insects the … Read More
October 15, 2007
WORLD-renowned Melbourne scientist Alan Trounson’s $1m stem cell research project is under investigation after it was scrapped for delivering highly doubtful results. (Herald Sun)
October 15, 2007
Do I have to have a living will? Last year, I had an experience that gave me the distinct impression that if I didn’t have one, my life was hardly worth, well, living. A routine mammogram had revealed that I … Read More
October 15, 2007
The Food and Drug Administration is moving with unprecedented speed to launch a drug research center to be paid for by companies it regulates. The goal of the Reagan-Udall Foundation, approved by Congress and signed into law late last month, … Read More
