Wii can do better

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  … Read more

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.  Read more

Getting ahead of the next pandemic

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.  Read more

Synthetic genome sparks ideas for medicine

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  … Read more