NZ euthanasia campaigner sentenced to 15 months jail
New Zealand's leading euthanasia campaigner was sentenced to 15 months jail this week for the attempted murder of her terminally ill mother. Although she can...
Gamete donor registry opens in UK
The UK is making it easier for people conceived with donor eggs and sperm to contact their genetic parents. It has set up a voluntary...
Whose fault is “genohype”: journalists or scientists?
A Canadian study has found that English-speaking media is surprisingly accurate in reporting on genetic research, even though it tends to overemphasise its benefits and...
UK nurse accused of hastening deaths to free up beds
A 47-year-old Welsh nursing sister is being tried for the attempted murder of four geriatric patients in order to free up hospital beds. The prosecution...
Swiss MP pushes European euthanasia
A Swiss member of the European parliament is lobbying the Council of Europe to decriminalise euthanasia, as the Netherlands and Belgium have already done. Dick...
Illegal organ market survives in Russia
After a year-long investigation, four Moscow doctors were arrested this week for plotting to murder a patient to supply a flourishing illegal trade in human...
Bush’s stem cell plan under pressure
More than 200 members of the US House of Representatives from both major parties have asked President George W. Bush to loosen restrictions on embryonic...
Stem cell research developments
Stem cells have been discovered in the heart which can become cardiac muscle cells, Japanese researchers report in the Journal of Biological Chemistry. "Clinical application...
IN BRIEF: China’s age problem; Swiss transplant blunder
After decades of the one-child policy, China may become "the first major country to grow old before it grows rich", say US analysts for the...