March 5, 2013
Jury selection began Monday in the murder trial of a Philadelphia abortion provider, a potentially sensitive task since the case involves both abortion and the death penalty. (U.S.A. Today)
March 5, 2013
Since 2004 investors have poured at least $1.84-billion into synthetic-biology start-ups; the government has added many more millions in research dollars. But more recently, the hype has died down. Most of those companies have made grinding progress, not breakthroughs. (The … Read More
March 5, 2013
Several laboratories are investigating ways to treat neurological diseases by injecting cells into patients’ brains, and clinical trials are being conducted for Parkinson’s disease, stroke and other neurodegenerative diseases. These studies follow experiments showing dramatic improvements in rats and mice. … Read More
March 5, 2013
Despite declining fertility, women over age 40 still require effective contraception if they wish to avoid pregnancy. A review article outlines the risks and benefits of various contraceptive options for these women. (Science Daily)
March 5, 2013
It is the “first authoritative and comprehensive survey of the origins and current state of transhumanist thinking, according to the editors, and the anthology includes a roster of leaders in transhumanist thought. (Kurtzweil)
March 5, 2013
Technology is starting to give us superpowers once reserved for comic-book heroes. (Slate)
March 5, 2013
Australian babies may be left stateless and unable to leave India as a result of changes to the country’s commercial surrogacy laws. (ABC.net.au)
March 5, 2013
Last week, 87-year-old Lorraine Bayless collapsed at Glenwood Gardens, an assisted living facility in Bakersfield, Calif., and later died. While it’s not unexpected that an elderly person would die, what’s troubling is that after she collapsed, a nurse called 911, … Read More
March 5, 2013
Bethlehem College and Seminary Bioethics Lecture with Jennifer Lahl, President of the Center of Bioethics and Culture March 8, 2013 7–8:30am Room 111 Minneapolis, MN For more information: See here.
March 5, 2013
A new issue of Journal of Medical Ethics (Vol 39, No 3, 1 March 2013) is now available online and in print. There are two major discussions in this issue: Elective Ventilation and Electroconvulsive Therapy. Â The discussion on Elective Ventilation … Read More
March 5, 2013
A new issue of Health Policy and Planning (Vol 28, No 2, March 2013) is now available online and in print. Articles include: Community-level impact of the reproductive health vouchers programme on service utilization in Kenya by Francis Obare, Charlotte … Read More
March 4, 2013
For the first time ever, lesbians and HIV infected women can now go in for IVF treatment to conceive a child in UK which will be funded by the National Health Services. (Times of India)
March 4, 2013
Over the longer term, perhaps in 20 years or more, we could even be talking about something called the “technological singularity,†a point when human history ends, to be replaced by whatever happens in a world run by computers or … Read More
March 4, 2013
Nina Desai, Ph.D., a researcher at the Cleveland Clinic, says with the EmbryoScope, “You’re looking at real-time imaging of embryos as they develop. You can look at 12 embryos at a time without removing the embryo from the safety of … Read More
March 4, 2013
The past few years have seen rapid advancements in vector-mediated gene transfer to the nervous system and modest successes in human gene therapy trials. The purpose of this review is to describe commonly-used viral gene transfer vectors and recent advancements … Read More
March 4, 2013
At the Faculty of Pharmacy of the Basque Public University (UPV/EHU) the Pharmacokinetics, Nanotechnology and Gene Therapy research team is using nanotechnology to develop new formulations that can be applied to drugs and gene therapy.Specifically, they are using nanoparticles to … Read More
March 4, 2013
My father, sister and I sat in the near-empty Chinese restaurant, picking at our plates, unable to avoid the question that we’d gathered to discuss: When was it time to let Mom die? (NPR)
March 4, 2013
Wake Forest University After the Genome: A Conference on the Language of Our Biotechnological Future April 12-13, 2013 Wake Forest University, Benson University Center, Pugh Auditorium Winston-Salem, North Carolina For information and registration: http://pdc.wfu.edu/event/5272
March 1, 2013
For a film in which a husband murders his wife, Amour has been shown a lot of love. It was nominated for five Oscars, including best actress for Emmanuelle Riva, and best foreign language film, which it won. (The Guardian)
March 1, 2013
The psychiatric illnesses seem very different — schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, autism, major depression and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Yet they share several genetic glitches that can nudge the brain along a path to mental illness, researchers report. Which disease, if … Read More
March 1, 2013
In this interview given the day before a seminar for the creation of a National Bioethics Committee in Trinidad and Tobago, held in Port-of-Spain on 28 February and 1 March 2013, Dr D. Simeon, Director of the Caribbean Health Research … Read More
March 1, 2013
Tiny particles filled with a drug could be a new tool for treating cancer in the future. A new study published by Swedish scientists in Particle & Particle Systems Characterization shows how such nanoparticles can be combined to secure the … Read More
March 1, 2013
In experiments mimicking a natural environment, Duke University researchers have demonstrated that the silver nanoparticles used in many consumer products can have an adverse effect on plants and microorganisms. (Nanotechnology Now)
March 1, 2013
Surrogacy and embryo donation should be allowed in Sweden, wrote the Swedish National Council on Medical Ethics (Statens medicinsk-etiska råd, SMER), which advises parliament and the government, in its new report. (The Local)
March 1, 2013
Stem cell research is taking off – literally. When the SpaceX Dragon capsule sets off for the International Space Station on 1 March, its cargo will include frozen embryonic stem cells – kick-starting a clever experiment that uses short-lived mice … Read More
