China appeals for sperm donors to counter infertility epidemic
China, a nation notorious for stifling fertility with its draconian one-child policy, is now worried about an epidemic of infertility. The head of Guangdong’s family...
Palestinian boy born from sperm smuggled out of Israeli prison
The wife of a Palestinian prisoner held in an Israeli jail has given birth to his son, even though she has not seen him for...
Gene of the week: internet addiction
Everybody is talking about internet addiction – many people spend hours online and immediately start feeling bad if they are unable to do so. Medically,...
Revolutionary! Life-transforming! Paradigm-shifting! Not!
This will surprise no one, but we all need reminders. Newspaper coverage of biomedical research leans heavily toward reports of initial findings, which are frequently...
Thalidomide apology derided as too little, too late
Fifty years after the calamitous release of the sedative Thalidomide by the German company Gruenenthal, the company has finally issued an apology. Fifty years after...
New first for Belgium: prisoner euthanasia
For the first time, a Belgian prisoner has been euthanased. A man identified as Frank V.D.B, who had spent 20 years in prison for two...