Today’s dose settles the score with Ebola virus. The fight continues, however, over Johnson & Johnson, the European debt crisis, and spreading flu.
The Daily Dose – Researchers 2, Ebola 0
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Author Archives: Christian Torres
Wii can do better
A couple years ago, my mother didn’t want clothes, jewelry, or even a day at the spa for Christmas. She wanted a Nintendo Wii. Video games? Are you kidding me? No, she wasn’t. She specifically wanted Wii Fit, the game where you can do yoga and other exercises on a balancing board, and though my brother and I were skeptical, we granted her wish. A few months later, the machine was collecting dust.
It’s a story I like to remind my mother about every once in a while, especially when I go back to visit. (My 20 minutes of MarioKart is probably the only action that Wii sees anymore.) Even if the games had her attention for more than a few weeks, they’re apparently not a long-term solution for exercise.
That’s why I’m surprised, like many others, to see the American Heart Association (AHA) put its famous heart label on the Wii. The same logo of endorsement we see on cereal boxes and other food packaging now appears on a $200 Nintendo console, as well as two games, Wii Fit Plus and Wii Sports Resort.
The Daily Dose – Becoming more Pro-Con(dom)
Today’s dose is adding up the numbers on condom use, cancer mutations, and clinical trials. There’s also some suspicion over supplements.
New stem cell guidance from HESCRAC also the last
The field of guidance documents for human embryonic stem cell research seems like it’ll be getting a little smaller. The National Academies released an updated set of guidelines today, but the committee behind the document has decided to disband. In its report, the Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research Advisory Committee (HESCRAC) says that guidance put out by the National Institutes of Health should now supersede its own.
The Daily Dose – Bust this joint
In today’s dose, there’s news on medical marijuana, open-source research, fat across the sexes, and a new FDA partnership.
Getting ahead of the next pandemic
There was a sense of relief yesterday at a New York Academy of Sciences conference on H1N1. Nearly a year before, many of the same people had gathered to discuss the emerging swine flu pandemic; this year, they’re catching their breath. The speakers, however, didn’t mince their words when it came to the need to bolster pandemic preparedness.
The Daily Dose – Blood needs a bath
If blood and death make you uneasy, be careful with today’s dose. Skip to the end, which has FDA news.
The Daily Dose – ’NICE’-er times ahead?
Monday’s dose is a barometer for what’s ahead. There’s split opinion on the FDA, a thumbs up for research from the Vatican, and a possible ‘NICE’ softening in the UK.
The Daily Dose – Friday Flashback
Yesterday doesn’t seem so far away when there are updates right in front of you. Here’s the latest on a few stories we’ve been following.
Synthetic genome sparks ideas for medicine
The science world is buzzing today over a study in Science, announcing the successful creation of an entirely synthetic genome. Researchers at the J. Craig Venter Institute in Rockville, Maryland inserted a complete DNA sequence into an emptied bacterial cell to form what some are calling artificial life.
While the implications for genetics, evolution, and the very philosophy of life are already garnering debate, medicine might also enter the fray. The proper use of this new technology could yield, for example, therapeutic bacteria. University of Pennsylvania bioethicist Arthur Caplan comments on MSNBC that synthetic bacteria could be created to go after specific human infections or maladies, even things such as cholesterol in our system. (That idea could also be bolstered by the findings of another new Science study, this one on the first genetic sequencing of the human microbiome.)
A BBC News Q&A on the Venter study also mentions the possibility of creating bacteria to produce new vaccines. Surely, it’s just one of many ideas we’ll be hearing about in the coming days and years. With this advance, what do you expect to see down the pipeline? How would you like to see the synthetic genome applied to medicine? Let us know in the comments.
Images of synthetic (top, expressing blue reporter genes) and wildtype (bottom) Mycoplasma mycoides courtesy of Science/AAAS