Stem cell expert turns away from embryonic stem cell cures
Best for drug testing, says James Thomson James Thomson, the American scientist who first isolated human embryonic stem cells, asserts that it is unlikely that...
Last iron lung polio patient dies
Dianne Odell spent 58 years in machine Although Aussies have some outrageous slang, one of the most offensive must be “he’s so lazy he wouldn’t...
Grateful yakuza gives $100,000 to UCLA Medical Centre
No connection to transplant operation, says hospitalAfter Japan’s most powerful gang boss received a liver transplant at UCLA Medical Center from its best transplant surgeon...
Fairness is hard-wired in the brain, says Caltech philosopher
Moral differences may be largely biologicalAnother advance in finding a neurological basis for everything. Scientists at California Institute of Technology have discovered that the concept...
Embryo research given green light by Brazilian Supreme Court
After three years of debate The Brazilian Supreme Court has affirmed scientists’ right to pursue human embryonic stem cell research by a vote of 6...
Clinical trials create ‘underclass’ of professional participants, bioethicist claims
Safety testing could violate Helsinki DeclarationAmerican pharmaceutical companies are creating an “underclass” of people who are making a modest living out of participating in Phase...
California case threatens doctors’ conscientious objection
Lesbian claims discrimination in fertility treatmentThe California Supreme Court is having a busy time with social and bioethics issues lately. After deciding that same sex...
Are 9-year-olds ready for sex reassignment?
Yes, says Harvard professor Boys and girls as young as 9 are being helped to change their gender at the prestigious Boston Children’s Hospital. A...
Is human uniqueness just skin deep?
Editorial in New Scientist questions human uniqueness Deciding whether humans have unique qualities which set them apart from other animals is surely the most fundamental...
German media criticize British hybrid decision
“Unethical”, say doctors and mediaWhile there must be a feeling of relief in the government benches after a controversial bill authorising the creation of human-animal...
Legless South African sprinter eligible for Olympics
Prosthetic legs deemed not an unfair advantage A South African double amputee has been cleared to run in the Beijing Olympics with prosthetic legs which...
A second life for man’s best friend?
Hwang teams up with California businessman to clone dogs A California businessman has teamed up with disgraced Korean stem cell scientist Hwang Woo-suk to create...