2007

EPA Takes First Step in Filling Nanotech Information Gaps
www.nanotechwire.com, January 30, 2007
The EPA released its plan for the Nanoscale Materials Stewardship Program, which offers groups the opportunity to submit safety data on nanoscale materials.
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Nanochemists Discover Novel, Semi-Conducting Nanotube
www.nanotechwire.com, January 27, 2008
Researchers at UALR and Stanford developed a technique to achieve pure single-wall nanotubes, which could help develop more nanoscale electronic systems.
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FDA Beginning to Address Nanotechnology Regulatory Concerns
www.nanotechwire.com, January 24, 2007
The FDA is beginning to address concerns related to nanotechnology, but is still gathering information.
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NIST, EC Agency Partner for Better Measurements and Standards
www.nanotechwire.com, January 9, 2007
The European Commission (EC) Joint Research Center Institute for Reference Materials and Measurements and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) signed a collaborative agreement to enhance trade between the United States and the European Union while ensuring the safety and quality of goods sold.
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The Year in Nanotech
www.technologyreview.com, Kevin Bullis, January 3, 2008
A review of different areas of nanotechnology and research areas including nanowires, carbon nanotubes, batteries, electronics, and memory chips.
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National Nanotechnology Initiative Releases New Strategic Plan
www.nano.gov, News Release, January 2, 2008
The National Nanotechnology Initiative released a new strategic plan to ensure that the United States remains a global leader in nanotechnology, while providing economic benefits and improved quality of life.
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The Future of Nanomaterials
www.nanotechwire.com, December 29, 2007
A research and consulting group released a series of briefs on technology innovation, one focusing on nanomaterials. The brief lays out the challenges of nanotechnology and a forecast for nanomaterials.
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Nanotechnology Companies Need Clear Environment and Health Roadmap to Succeed
www.nanotechwire.com, December 12, 2007
The Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies released the results of a new survey of nanotechnology companies, addressing environmental, health, and safety impacts of nanotechnology.
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White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Issues Memo on Nanotechnology Environmental, Health, and Safety Oversight
www.nanotechwire.com, December 2, 2007
The Office of Science and Technology Policy and the Council on Environmental Quality led a process to develop principles to guide nanotechnology policy relating to environmental, health, and safety.
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A Little Risky Business
www.economist.com, November 22, 2007
The number of consumer products using nanotechnology is growing rapidly, while accurate risk assessments are still difficult to determine. Countries vary in level of regulation and risk assessment research.
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Nanotechnology Moves from Discovery to Commercialization: $50 Billion in 2006 Product Sales, $12 Billion in Funding
www.nanotechwire.com, November 20, 2007
Nanotechnology has shifted from a pure R&D; race to commercialization, as seen by the worldwide nanotechnology sales last year of $50 billion.
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Art in America
Rebecca Tuhus-Dubrow, The Nation, November 26, 2007
Americans are coming to terms with how new reproductive technologies square with common perceptions of reproductive rights.
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Thank Heavens for Little Girl Embryos
Melanie McDonagy, The Times, November 9, 2007
The Human Tissues and Embryos Bill gets its first reading in the Lords today with a proposed ban on the sex selection of embryos for non-medical reasons. In other words, people undergoing IVF who want to weed out female embryos on the ground that they'd prefer a boy will get short shrift.
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Stem Cell Research: Human Cloning Prohibited
Meri News India, November 8 2007
After almost five years of consultation, a panel of Indian experts has at last devised a set of guidelines to regulate stem cell research and its use in India.
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New Jersey Rejects Stem-Cell Bonds in `Big Defeat'
Terrence Dopp, Bloomberg, November 7, 2007
New Jersey voters rejected a $450 million bond measure to fund stem-cell research in a defeat for Democratic Governor Jon Corzine, who backed the proposal with his own money.
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Draft Cat Genome Sequenced
Ailsa Tayor, BioNews.org.uk, November 6, 2007
Scientists based at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) in Fredrick, Maryland, have become the first to sequence the cat genome, according to a report published last week.
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State Plans to Set Up Research Institute for Biotechnology
Staff Reporter, The Hindu, October 18, 2007
A research institute to facilitate advanced learning in fields related to biotechnology will be established in the State, said S. Vincent, member secretary, Tamil Nadu State Council for Science and Technology.
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DNA Discovery
Susan Reigler, Louisville Courier-Journal, October 16, 2007
An Oxford laboratory uses DNA investigation to trace ancestry back to a handful of women tens of thousands of years ago.
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Genome Abuse
Nature. 449, 377-378, 27 September 2007
This Nature editorial makes the case that citizens are right to resist government pressure to expand population DNA databases.
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Biotech Faces 'Perfect Storm' As Lawmakers Return to the Fray
Donna Young, BioWorld.com, September, 2007
As Congress its August recess this wee, groups representing the biotechnology and drug industries are making last-ditch efforts to influence the outcomes of bills that affect product safety, patent laws and generic competition.
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A Genetic Test That Very Few Need, Marketed to the Masses
Andrew Pollack, New York Times, September 11, 2007
A television commercial running in New York and elsewhere in the Northeast urges women to consider being tested for certain genetic mutations that can sharply increase the risk of developing breast or ovarian cancer. But the commercial, sponsored by Myriad Genetics, which sells the test, is stirring protests from some cancer and genetics specialists, and it has brought on an inquiry by Connecticut's attorney general. full article

US Stem Cell Policy News
Antony Blackburn-Starza, BioNews.org, September 3, 2007
Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich has passed a new measure that supports stem cell research - including that on human embryonic stem cells - but prohibits human cloning.
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Stem Cells Fix Broken Hearts
Kate Benson, The Sunday Morning Herald, August 28, 2007
Six people with severe heart disease have shown significant improvement after being treated with rare adult stem cells in what is said to be a world-first trial.
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Victoria Considers New Zealand Approach to Embryo Donation
Antony Blackburn-Starza, BioNews.org.uk, August 28, 2007
The Australian state of Victoria is considering plans to allow couples who are donating embryos to choose the recipient parents.
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Gene Therapy and the History of Organ Transplantation
Brandon Keim, Wired, August 27, 2007
Gene therapy is at a crossroads. Will its promise be fulfilled, or be abandoned just short of success?
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Online Gamers Become Guinea Pigs
Carolyn Y. Johnson, Boston Globe, August 25, 2007
Serious academic researchers, from epidemiologists to economists, are beginning to think that epidemics uncorked in virtual worlds can be new laboratories to observe behavior and test theories they can't experiment with in the real world.
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Key Scientist Resigns California Stem Cell Agency
Kristen Philipkoski, Wired, August 24, 2007
After hiring an interim president recently, the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine is losing its chief scientific officer, Arlene Y. Chiu.
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Gene Therapy Trial Death Caused by Massive Infection
Brandon Keim, Wired, August 21, 2007
New information surfaces about the cause of death in a recent gene therapy treatment.
http://blog.wired.com/wiredscience/2007/08/more-informatio.html')" class="link">full article

Memories Can Be Erased, Scientists Find
Vidura Panditaratne, Press Etc., August 17, 2007
Neuroscientists have discovered that long-term memories may not be etched in stone. By interfering with the brain's dynamic molecular processes, scientists think they can erase long-term memories.
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Fall Is When Biotechs Rise
Wall Street Journal, August 9, 2007
The biotechnology sector's harvest time nears as firms prepare to show off their latest and greatest at annual medical meetings.
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Mule's Foal Fools Genetics
Nancy Lofholm, The Denver Post, August 8, 2007
The genetically "impossible" occurrence of a mule giving birth has gotten attention of the scientific world.
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Joint Committee on the Draft Human Tissue and Embryos Bill
www.parliment.uk, August 8, 2007
In the U.K., Parliament has established a Joint Committee on the draft Human Tissue and Embryos Bill (Cm 7087).
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Setback for Novartis in India Over Drug Patent
Amelia Gentleman, New York Times, August 7, 2007
A ruling by a court in India, rejecting a patent claim, has allowed the continued production of a generic drug.
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Death Points to Risks in Research
Rick Weiss, Washington Post, August 6, 2007
A recent gene therapy trial focuses attention on the foibles of the patient safety net.
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How Should Scientists Sell Science?
TheScientist.com, August 6, 2007
A highly contentious online life sciences debate has raged about how scientists should communicate important or controversial issues to the media and public. TheScientist.com offers an online survey for readers to voice their opinion.
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Federal Genetic Nondiscrimination Act Nears Passage
James Arvantes, American Academy of Family Physicians, August 3, 2007
Legislation prohibiting employers and health insurers from discriminating based on an individual's genetic makeup may soon become law.
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Transplant Case Could Affect Donations
Alicia Chang, The Associated Press, August 1, 2007
Allegations that a transplant surgeon attempted to hasten a patient's death in order to recover his organs could dissuade potential donors at a time when the nation¹s wait list for organs is growing.
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Patients Report Same Satisfaction with Genetic Results Received by Phone as in Person
CancerConsultants.com, August, 2007
According to results involving patients tested for BRCA1/2 mutations, which were published in Genetics in Medicine, patients are just as satisfied when given results of genetic testing for cancer risk over the phone as in person in terms of anxiety and general well-being.
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Transplant Surgeon Charged with Trying to Hasten Patient's Death
Charles Ornstein and Tracy Weber, Los Angeles Times, July 31, 2007
A San Francisco transplant surgeon was charged with prescribing excessive drugs to a 25-year-old disabled man in order to speed up his death and harvest his organs.
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Virtual Worlds: Perfect for Studying Humans?
The New Scientist, July 30, 2007
Virtual reality worlds offer social scientists the tantalising prospect of a "real" sociological laboratory.
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A Donor Kidney: The Gift of Life?
Mary Ann Baily, Bioethics Forum, July 27, 2007
This commentary focuses on how the organ donation supply is being portrayed.
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Japan Scientists Devise "Womb" for IVF Eggs
Tan Ee Lyn, Reuters, July 27, 2007
Scientists in Japan have created a "womb" for incubating artificially fertilized eggs, helping them grow nearly as fast as they would in the uterus.
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Couples with Leftover Embryos Face Ethical, Legal Dilemma
Yonat Shimron, McClatchy Newspapers, July 27, 2007
Increasingly, couples undergoing IVF are faced with the dilemma of what to do with their unused embryos.
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Womb-on-a-chip May Boost IVF Successes
Linda Geddes, NewScientist.com, July 26, 2007
Teruo Fujii of the University of Tokyo in Japan and his colleagues are building a microfluidic chip to nurture the first stages of pregnancy. They claim that such a device could improve the success rate of IVF.
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The Future of Medicine: Insert Chip, Cure Disease?
University of Florida, July 24, 2007
A microchip, strategically inserted into the brain, ultimately could prevent epileptic seizures or allow someone who has lost a limb to control an artificial arm just by thinking about it.
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Comment: Let's Legalise Cloning
Hugh McLachlan, NewScientist.com, July 18, 2007
In many countries, including the UK, human reproductive cloning -- creating a baby from the genetic material of a single adult -- is a criminal offence. Now, some are calling for legalization.
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Genetic Engineers Who Don't Just Tinker
Nicholas Wade, New York Times, July 8, 2007
Forget genetic engineering seems passé in the new realm of synthetic biology, an effort by engineers to rewire the genetic circuitry of living organisms.
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U. of California Pays $7.5-Million to Settle Claims from Another Medical Scandal at Irvine
Elizabeth Quill, Chronicle of Higher Education, July 2007
The University of California has paid $7.5-million to settle 35 claims filed on behalf of patients who sought liver transplants at the university's Irvine campus, according to a lawyer for the plaintiffs.
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Virtual Immortality for Virtual Eternity
Patrick Tucker, The Futurist, July-August, 2007
The National Science Foundation has awarded a half-million-dollar grant to the universities of Central Florida at Orlando and Illinois at Chicago to explore using artificial intelligence, archiving, and computer imaging to create realistic, digital versions of actual people.
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State Approves Funds to Become Stem Cell Leader
Dunstan McNichol, The Star Ledger, June 13, 2007
New Jersey has authorized $9.1 million to launch construction of a stem-cell research lab, and state lawmakers have agreed to ask voters to approve $450 million to bankroll research grants.
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'Junk' DNA Makes Compulsive Reading
Andy Coghlan, NewScientist.com, June 13, 2007
It turns out that DNA generates far more RNA than the standard dogma predicts it should -- even some so-called "junk" DNA gets transcribed.
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Stem Cells Produced from 'Reprogrammed' Skin Cells
Alisa Taylor, BioNews.co.uk, June 11, 2007
Three independent research groups have reported successfully creating cells that act like stem cells from the skin cells of adult mice; this technique could potentially help resolve the ongoing ethical debate surrounding some stem-cell research.
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Nigeria Sues Pfizer for £3.5bn Over 'Illegal' Child Drug Trials
Chris McGreal, The Guardian, June 6, 2007
The Nigerian government is suing the world's largest drug manufacturer, Pfizer, for £3.5bn in damages for allegedly carrying out illegal trials of an anti-meningitis drug that killed and disabled children.
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Building Better Biofuels
Neil Savage, Technology Review, June 6, 2007
Some biotech startup companies are positioning themselves to take advantage of an anticipated market for biofuels.
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Specially Bred Mice May Hold Keys to Personalized Medicine
Brandon Keim, Wired, June 5, 2007
Scientists at the Jackson Laboratory have developed a genetically diverse panel of mice that can help predict how people with specific genotypes will respond to experimental drugs.
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Sending Biotech Research to China
Evelyn Iritani, Los Angeles Times, June 2, 2007
The Biotech firm Ascenta's big gamble is creating a new breed of biotech startups that marry U.S. and Chinese scientific talent with China's cheaper labor and resources.
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Inherited Cancer Test Results and Insurance Premiums
Anna Wood, BioNews.co.uk, May 30, 2007
Recent reports that UK insurers could soon seek approval to use genetic test results for inherited cancers to set premiums have alarmed many individuals and families who could be impacted.
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After Court Victory on Stem Cells, California Faces Questions on Construction Grants
Jeffrey Brainard, Chronicle of Higher Education, May 2007
The California Supreme Court has cleared the way for a massive state program of stem-cell research, but leaders of the effort are grappling with how best to carry out the next steps.
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GM Crops on Trial
Les Levidow and Susan Carr, Futures, 2007
Due to the European controversy over agricultural biotechnology, genetically modified crops have been evaluated for an increasingly wide range of potential effects. This article links three theoretical perspectives: issue-framing, agri-environmental discourses, and technological development as a real-world experiment.
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Biotechnology Industry Growth Forecast for 2007
Theresa Phillips, About.com, May 11, 2007
The Ernst & Young 2007 Global Biotechnology Report paints a very favorable financial picture for the biotech sector.
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'Pillow Angel' Surgery Broke Law
Amy Burkholder, CNN.com, May 8, 2007
The hospital where a controversial procedure stunting the growth and sexual development of a profoundly disabled girl violated Washington State law by sterilizing her, according to an investigative report.
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Gene Mutation Linked to Cognition is Found Only in Humans
Phsysorg.com, May 8, 2007
A new study shows that a certain form of neuropsin, a protein that plays a role in learning and memory, is expressed only in the central nervous systems of humans and that it originated less than 5 million years ago. The study, which also demonstrates the molecular mechanism that creates this novel protein, will be published online in Human Mutation, the official journal of the Human Genome Variation Society.
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Australian State Becomes First to Legalize Therapeutic Cloning
Physorg.com, May 5, 2007
The Australian State of Victoria has become the first to legalize human therapeutic cloning, following the lifting of a nationwide ban on the controversial practice.
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The Next Human Genome Project: Our Microbes
Emily Singer, Technology Review, May 2, 2007
A proposed project to sequence the micro-organisms that inhabit the human body could have a huge impact on human health.
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The Economics of GM Food Labels:
Sangeeta Bansal, Jawaharlal Nehru University
Bharat Ramaswami, Indian Statistical Institute
International Food Policy Research Institute, May, 2007
This paper relates the economics of labeling genetically modified (GM) products to the theory of grading and minimum quality standards.
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EU Gives Go-Ahead for Stem Cell and Other 'Advanced' Therapies
MacKenna Roberts, BioNews.org.uk, April 30, 2007
The European Commission has passed rules on new medical treatments, rejecting all ethical amendments after a bitter discord, caused primarily by the inclusion of potential treatments involving human embryonic stem cells and human-animal hybrids under the European Union (EU) regulatory banner.
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'Gym Pill' Trips Fat-burning Gene
BBC News, April 29, 2007
U.S. scientists have devised a drug that can switch on a gene to burn body fat, offering hope of an "exercise pill."
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Will Bioterror Fears Spawn Science Censorship?
Jennifer Granick, Wired, April 25, 2007
A federal advisory board is considering recommending new guidelines to limiting the publication of life-sciences research that could be misused by terrorists.
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Biotech Research and Development Will Benefit from Sarbanes-Oxley Changes
Stephanie Fischer, Biotechnology Industry Organization, April 18, 2007
Changes to section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act are being proposed. These amendments would specifically benefit small biotech companies.
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Drugs May Boost Your Brain Power
Pallab Ghosh, BBC News, April 16, 2007
Governmental officials are assessing the impact of a new generation of drugs that claim to boost intelligence.
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Representative Nelson Introduces Ban on Human Cloning in Oregon
Salem News, April 14, 2007
Joining the 13 states that currently ban cloning, House Bill 2662 would make it a felony for a person in Oregon to clone, or attempt to clone, a human being.
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Looking at the History of Eugenics in Indiana
Shari Rudavsky, The Indianapolis Star, April 13, 2007
A century ago, Indiana became the first state to allow government authorities to sterilize those deemed "unfit for procreation."
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EU and China Form New Alliance on Bioethics
CordisNews.com, April 13, 2007
European and Chinese bioethicists and life scientists have established an expert group to promote ethical biomedical research in both regions.
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Bone Stem Cells Turned into Primitive Sperm Cells
Roxanne Khamsi, NewScientist.com, April 13, 2007
In a first step toward the creation of artificial sperm, researchers have turned human bone marrow tissue into primitive sperm cells.
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New Laws of Robotics Proposed for US Kill-bots
Lewis Page, The Register, April 13, 2007
A new set of laws has been proposed to govern the operations of "killer robots."
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Indiana Apologizes for Role in Eugenics
Ken Kusmer, Newsday.com, April 13, 2007
An Indiana official publicly apologized for the state's role a century ago in the state-sponsored sterilization of those deemed unfit.
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Her First Child is a First
Yvonne Villarreal, Los Angeles Times, April 13, 2007
The first baby conceived in the United States by means of frozen sperm and a frozen egg has been born.
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Potential Organ Donor was Wrongly Declared Brain-dead
Charles Ornstein and Tracy Weber, The Los Angeles Times, April 12, 2007
The erroneous determination of brain death in an organ donor raises concerns about the medical care of those who have expressed a desire to donate their organs upon death.
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Research Monkey's Genetic Code Deciphered
Lauran Neergaard, MSNBC.com, April 12, 2007
Researchers continue to identify the genetic similarities between humans and non-human primates, noting specific diseases with similar genetic codes.
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Congress Seeks Compromise on Generic Drugs
Robert Pear, The New York Times, April 8, 2007
Senior members of Congress from both parties are working on legislation that could give consumers access to lower-cost copies of costly biotechnology drugs.
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China Issues New Rules on Transplants
Gillian Wong, ABC News, April 7, 2007
China published new rules governing human organ transplants in its latest effort to clean up a system than critics claim disregards ethics.
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Recapturing the Soul of Bioethics
Tad Pacholczyk, The Bulletin, April 6, 2007
Modern bioethics seems to be going through a kind of identity crisis. With ethicists available for hire, drug companies and biotech firms have easy access to "experts" who can provide them with the veneer of respectability if they decide to head in the direction of unethical science.
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New Organ Donor Law Raise Ethics Concerns
The Post Chronicle, April 4, 2007
A model law updating U.S. organ donation procedures is raising ethical concerns related to patients' rights and wishes.
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Key Stem Cell Patents Revoked
Gaia Vince, NewScientist.com. April 3, 2007
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has revoked fundamental patents on human embryonic stem cells.
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Family History
Guardian Guides, April 2007
The latest in the monthly Guardian Guides series helps readers discover their roots.
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Pentagon Preps Mind Fields
Noah Sachtman, Wired.com, March 21, 2007
Since 2000, a Pentagon research branch has spearheaded an approximately $70-million effort on developing computers than can scan the human mind to identify thoughts.
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Full-mental Nudity
William Saletan, Slate.com, March 20, 2007
With the aid of functional magnetic resonance imaging under controlled conditions, neuroscientists can tell from a brain scan at which of two images the subject looking. They can identify whether the human subject is thinking of a face, an animal, or a scene, and they can even tell which finger the subject is about to move.
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Hands Off Our Genes, Say Pacific Islanders
Anna Salleh, ABC Science Online, March 20, 2007
Pacific Islanders are demanding the power to restrict patenting of their human, plant, and animal genes.
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Paying Big to Be a Donor
Jason Feifer, Washington Post, March 20, 2007
Transplant advocates fear costs are a deterrent to organ donation, and so have been searching for ways to compensate living donors, who can give kidneys, bone marrow, and a few other body parts. But by doing so, they are confronting whether it is unethical wrong to pay people for their organs -- or at least for the costs incurred in gifting them.
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Victoria to Vote on Therapeutic Cloning
Antony Blackburn-Starza, BioNews.org.ud, March 19, 2007
Victoria may become the first Australian state to allow scientists to conduct therapeutic cloning by nuclear transfer, as legislation legalizing such research was proposed by Victoria¹s Health Minister Bronwyn Pike.
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New Trend in Organ Donation Raises Questions
Rob Stein, Washington Post, March 18, 2007
The number of kidneys, livers, and other body parts surgeons are harvesting through a controversial approach to organ donation has started to rise rapidly. While saving the lives of patients waiting for organs, some fear this approach risks sacrificing the interests of the donors.
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Facing Life with a Lethal Gene
Amy Harmon, The New York Times, March 18, 2007
While a panoply of new DNA tests are revealing predispositions to numerous conditions, including breast cancer, depression, and dementia, little is known about what it is like to live with such knowledge.
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South Carolina Bill Proposes Inmates May Get Early Release by Donating a Kidney
Patricia Shehan, Headline News.com, March 12, 2007
Inmates in South Carolina may receive early release from prison in exchange for kidney donation, if a controversial bill being proposed is passed.
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The True Price of a Human Organ
Susan Brown and David Glenn, The Chronicle of Higher Education, March 2007
Last year, more than 6,000 living Americans gave parts of their bodies to people in need. And it was truly a gift. Federal law prohibits donors from receiving money for organs, a policy that also holds in many other parts of the world.
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Who Owns Your Body Parts?
Kerry Howley, Reason, March 2007
It appears that everyone is making money in the market for human biological materials -- except the donors.
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As Ethics Panels Expand Grip, No Field Is Off Limits
Patricia Cohen, New York Times, February 28, 2007
Institutional Review Boards are required at all institutions that receive research money from any one of 17 federal agencies. Now, faculty and graduate students across the country increasingly complain that these panels have spun out of control, curtailing academic freedom and interfering with research.
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Genes and Genius: Researchers Confirm Association Between Gene and Intelligence
Washington University, Science Daily, February 27, 2007
A team of scientists, led by psychiatric geneticists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has gathered the most extensive evidence to date that a gene, which activates signaling pathways in the brain, influences one kind of intelligence.
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Scientists Triumph in Battle Over Ban on Hybrid Embryos
Mark Henderson, The Times, February 27, 2007
Plans to outlaw the creation of human-animal hybrid embryos for research are to be dropped after a revolt by scientists.
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Microsoft to Buy Health Information Search Engine
Steve Lohr, New York Times, February 27, 2007
As Microsoft's foray into the health care sector gets under way, the company signaled that one important ingredient in its plan will be a specialized search engine tailored to deliver health-related information to consumers.
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Iowa Close to Lifting Cloning Ban
Tom Strode, Baptist Press, February 26, 2007
Iowa is a governor's signature away from reversing a ban on human cloning for research purposes.
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Genetic Privacy Protected by Law
The New Scientist, February 25, 2007
A federal law that would protect people in the United States from being denied jobs or insurance because of their genetic make-up looks set to passed after 12 years of debate on the issue.
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Call for "Neuroethics" as Brain Science Races Ahead
Tom Heneghan, Reuters, February 14, 2007
Neuroscientists are making such rapid progress in unlocking the brain's secrets that some are urging their colleagues in the field to debate the ethics of their work before it can be misused.
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Tapping Brains for Future Crimes
Jennifer Granick, Wired, February 14, 2007
A team of neuroscientists announced a scientific breakthrough in the use of brain scans to discover a person's thinking.
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Final Pew Initiative Analysis Finds State Legislatures Continue to Focus on Agricultural Biotechnology
Mona Miller, Pew Charitable Trusts, February 14, 2007
A new fact sheet and web database released by the Pew Initiative on Food and Biotechnology reveals that agricultural biotechnology continues to be of interest to state legislatures, particularly with respect to concerns about marketing, economics, and liability -- issues that historically have not been the focus of federal regulatory efforts. During the 2005-2006 legislative session, 134 pieces of legislation related to agricultural biotechnology were introduced in 33 states and the District of Columbia.
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Patenting Life
Michael Crichton, The New York Times, February 13, 2007
Gene patents have the potential to interfere with the availability of treatment for patients in need.
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Brave, New Biotech World -- Human, Animal Mix Raises Ethical Concerns
John Allen, National Catholic Reporter, February 13, 2007
British tabloids have been running sensationalized images of chimeras -- genetic mixtures of humans and rabbits, and humans and cows -- derisively dubbed "Franken-bunnies" and "moo-tants."
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Biology Goes Open Source
Matthew Herper and Robert Langreth, Forbes, February 12, 2007
Some of the largest drug companies are finding that their research is actually worth more if they give it away.
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Investment Tax Credit Incentive Won't Grow
Karen Buckelew, Maryland Daily Record, February 12, 2007
Despite a high level of demand in its first year, Maryland's biotechnology investment incentive tax credit program will most likely not exceed the $6 million allocated last year -- and could actually fall by $1 million.
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China to Name Those Who Skirt Child Policy
The Boston Globe, February 8, 2007
Officials in China plan to name and shame families that ignore the country's strict one-child policy and simply pay the fine for having a second or third baby, according to the national media.
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Kurzweil: Biotech Will Drive Software Security
Kevin McLaughlin, CRN, February 8, 2007
As the IT industry continues to grow, the role of security will take on ever greater importance, and some are looking to the human evolutionary process as a place to look for guidance on what to expect.
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Egg Donors for Stem Cell Research Face Small Risks, Study Says
Rob Waters, Bloomberg.com, February 7, 2007
Women who donate their eggs for use in stem-cell research face minimal risks, mostly from the hormones used to stimulate their bodies to release multiple eggs, according to an Institute of Medicine report.
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Expand Prenatal Gene Tests, MDs Urge
Carolyn Abraham, The Globe and Mail, February 6, 2007
Recommendations raise fear of having only "perfect" babies.
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Fueling Brain Research
Emily Singer, Technology Review, February 5, 2007
The past decade has seen a revolution in the understanding of the human brain. But what discoveries will the next generation of technologies bring to neuroscience?
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Rent-a-womb in India Fuels Surrogate Motherhood Debate
Krittivas Mukherjee, Reuters, February 5, 2007
Surrogate motherhood is among the latest in a long list of roles being outsourced to India, where so-called "rent-a-womb" services are far less expensive than in the West.
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Bionic Tech Is the Real Deal
Kenji Hall, Business Week, February 5, 2007
The notion of boosting human strength, or replacing lost limbs, with robotic technology has been around for decades. But are the sci-fi ideas now becoming reality?
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Stem-cell Research Guidelines Ignore Pressing Issues
David Magnus, Mercury News, February 5, 2007
The International Society for Stem Cell Research announced its recommended guidelines.
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Estimates of Funding for Various Diseases, Conditions, Research Areas
National Institutes of Health, February 5, 2007
NIH posted their estimates for stem-cell research funding in a revised "Estimates of Funding for Various Diseases, Conditions, Research Areas." The full table is available on the NIH website.
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Can Humanity Survive? Want to Bet on It?
John Tierney, New York Times, January 30, 2007
Sixty years ago, a group of physicists concerned about nuclear weapons created the Doomsday Clock and set its hands at seven minutes to midnight. Now, the clock's keepers, alarmed by new dangers like climate change, have moved the hands up to 11:55 p.m.
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Family of Dead Israeli Soldier Can Use His Sperm
MSNBC.com, January 29, 2007
In a precedent-setting decision, an Israeli court ruled that a dead soldier's family can use his sperm to impregnate a woman he never met.
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U.S. Congress Reopens Debate on Genetic Anti-discrimination Legislation
MacKenna Roberts, BioNews.org, January 29, 2007
The proposed Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act 2007 is poised for fast-track consideration through the U.S. Congress. It was reintroduced in the House of Representatives in January as H.R. 493, with its prospects for successful passage into law appearing better than similar past attempts. The Act aims to provide a consistent federal standard of protection against genetic discrimination with respect to employment and health insurance.
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Canadian Researchers First to Complete the Human Metabalome
Science Daily, January 25, 2007
Researchers at the University of Alberta, in Edmonton, Canada, have announced the completion of the first draft of the human metabolome, the chemical equivalent of the human genome.
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Fees Relaxed to Boost Stem Cell Research
Ryan J. Foley, The Associated Press, January 24, 2007
The Wisconsin foundation that holds patents covering U.S. embryonic stem-cell research will waive some of its fees to encourage more industry-sponsored research.
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Rebate Plan for Eggs Cracks Open an Ethics Mess
Arthur Caplan, MSNBC.com, January 22, 2007
Some British scientists propose offering rebates to women seeking infertility services in exchange for giving up some of their eggs for use in stem-cell research.
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I Guess That Makes Me a Transhumanist
Green Technology Forum, January 20, 2007
This article covers an engaging discussion between Nigel Cameron, Director of the Center on Nanotechnology and Society and President of the Institute on Biotechnology and the Human Future, and George Dvorsky, President of the Toronto Transhumanist Association.
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President Calls for Genetic Privacy Bill
Sheryl Gay Stolberg, New York Times, January 18, 2007
President Bush urges Congress to pass long-stalled legislation to safeguard genetic privacy, a measure experts say would encourage millions of Americans to undergo testing that could lead to prevention and treatment of cancer and other diseases.
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Many Genetic-based Cancer Studies Flawed
Steven Reinber, HealthDay Reporter, January 18, 2007
Many cancer studies that rely on what scientists call "genetic microarrays" are alleged to have critical flaws in their analyses or their conclusions.
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The Embryo Factory
William Saletan, Slate.com, January 15, 2007
New businesses are making and selling human embryos from handpicked donors. According to the FDA, this does not appear to violate any rules within its purview.
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Alzheimer's Gene Identified
Karen Kelly, University of Toronto, January 14, 2007
An international effort led by scientists at the University of Toronto, Columbia University, and Boston University has isolated another gene responsible for Alzheimer's disease.
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FDA Investigates Embryo Business
Elizabeth White, Seattle Times, January 13, 2007
Federal officials are investigating a business that produces batches of ready-made embryos and lets prospective parents select one based on the donors' looks, ethnicity, education, and other factors.
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Are Politics in Your DNA?
Stephen Pincock, The Scientist, January 2007
A study from Rice University claims that between 40% and 50% of the variation in political orientation is linked to genetics rather and than socialization.
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The Discover Interview: Marvin Minsky
Susan Kruglinski, Discover, January 2007
Legendary A.I. pioneer Marvin Minsky ponders the brain, bashes neuroscience, and lays out a plan for super-human robots in this interview.
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