November 12, 2007
A new article from Nanotoxicology is now available by subscription only. Abstract The rapid advancement of nanotechnology has prompted the need to investigate the health effects of nanoparticles and nanomaterials. The current focus of health and safety investigations has targeted … Read More
November 12, 2007
A scientist describes how she decided that a legal fight would advance science At 9 p.m. on 9 August, 2001, US President George W. Bush announced the first opportunity to obtain federal funding for experiments on human embryonic stem cells … Read More
November 12, 2007
Parents of sick children will be allowed to use IVF to create “spare part babies” under controversial laws published yesterday. The legislation will dramatically relax rules on IVF clinics creating “saviour siblings” – who can help cure their older brothers … Read More
November 12, 2007
Fully insured health plans would be required to cover diagnosis as well as treatment for autism under an Ohio House bill advocates say would expose autistic children to early treatment that will benefit them the rest of their lives. The … Read More
November 12, 2007
For the first time, scientists have created dozens of cloned embryos from adult primates. But what are the implications of this technical breakthrough for the future of mankind? A technical breakthrough has enabled scientists to create for the first time … Read More
November 12, 2007
Stem cell researchers and government officials from eight countries and territories in the Asia-Pacific region have established a formal network. Named SNAP (for Stem cell Network of the Asia-Pacific region), the network includes representatives from Australia, China, India, Japan, Korea, … Read More
November 12, 2007
Experts have expressed concern over the launch by a US company of a service for women to store their own menstrual blood. Cryo-Cell says its bank is designed for women who want to store their own stem cells, taken from … Read More
November 12, 2007
When Malaka, an Indian tsunami refugee, agreed to sell her kidney, the organ broker told her she would receive $3,500. But after the operation, he gave her only $700 – for an organ that a wealthy foreigner likely paid $40,000. … Read More
November 12, 2007
The international community faces a stark choice: outlaw human cloning or prepare for the creation of cloned humans, U.N. researchers said Saturday. Previous attempts to reach a binding worldwide treaty foundered over divisions on whether to outlaw all cloning or … Read More
November 12, 2007
The world faces a stark choice between banning cloning of humans or preparing ways to protect them from potential abuse or discrimination, a U.N. study said on Sunday. Experts at the U.N. University’s Institute of Advanced Studies said it would … Read More
November 10, 2007
For years now, I have been arguing that the siren song of human cloning has led many among “the scientists” to dream the dreams of the omnipotent, to toss aside the ethical beliefs of the society they are supposed to … Read More
November 9, 2007
We, the rich (compared to the rest of the world), the lovers of “choice,” the oh, so liberal and enlightened, seem to be moving toward a new form of colonialism. Only this time, it isn’t about copper mines or timber … Read More
November 9, 2007
Researchers have developed artificial blood vessels that are derived from human cells but appear to have long shelf lives and are unlikely to provoke an immune response. Such vessels could someday prove valuable to patients undergoing heart-bypass operations, dialysis, or … Read More
November 9, 2007
Unlocking one of many nondescript doors in a long hallway at the Croatian Institute for Brain Research, neuroscientist MiloÅ¡ JudaÅ¡ switches on the lights and steps aside. “Here it is,” he says. The cavernous room is filled with row after … Read More
November 9, 2007
Merck & Co. said Friday it will pay $4.85 billion to end thousands of state and federal lawsuits over its painkiller Vioxx in one of the largest drug settlements ever. (Wired)
November 9, 2007
Bridging the gap between a fictional 3D world on the Internet known as “Second Life” and real life, a United Kingdom law firm reportedly has opened an office there not simply to play at law practice or recruit clients but … Read More
November 8, 2007
Because the child survived with serious disabilities. But the Supreme Court of Washington-State threw it out. Good. Imagine if a court ruled that saving the life of a disabled baby could bring liability, but not saving the life of an … Read More
November 8, 2007
The New York Times obituary for Question 2 is interesting. It notes that ground had already been broken on building facilities to house research companies that would have been paid to do human cloning and ESCR with taxpayers’ borrowed money–but … Read More
November 8, 2007
Things in Dr. Anthony Atala’s lab at Wake Forest University are not always what they seem. On one lab bench, surrounded by gutted printer cartridges, lie the inner workings of an inkjet printer. But this isn’t the scene of some … Read More
November 8, 2007
HOW much should a woman be paid for donating her eggs for research? This is one of the big questions the Bioethics Advisory Committee (BAC) is grappling with, as it starts its latest public consultation exercise. (TODAYonline)
November 8, 2007
From the odd capsule of fish oil to major brain surgery, the options for boosting our mental capacity are expanding all the time. Do we need to worry about the advent of a brave new world, where everyone is too … Read More
November 8, 2007
Concierge medicine — the name itself implying highly personalized services — has sprouted as a rebellion against what’s perceived as assembly-line medicine. The doctors flee the frenetic pace and hassles of traditional practices, and limit their practice loads. Patients, in … Read More
November 8, 2007
The intersection of genetics and intelligence is an intellectual minefield. Harvard’s former president Larry Summers touched off one explosion in 2005 when he tentatively suggested a genetic explanation for the difficulty his university had in recruiting female professors in maths … Read More
November 8, 2007
The development of reproductive technologies has continued apace since the birth of Louise Brown, the first IVF baby, in 1978. The regulatory framework is constantly assailed by new possibilities which may not have been envisaged by those who drew up … Read More
November 8, 2007
Researchers here reported small successes Wednesday in using stem cells to patch ailing hearts, an effort that has generated more debate than breakthroughs. (USA Today)
