Science News

Red Herring had a great article the other day about the business challenges facing stem cell research. Specifically, the article addressed how early stage biotechnology firms can get funding for their initial research. Read the rest

Scientists have been claiming for some time now that it was only a matter of time before they found a way to harvest stem cells without destroying the embryo. Read the rest

In my last article, I discussed the early stages of embryonic development. In this article, I’m going to address how a fertilized egg can split into two embryos. Read the rest

On July 18, President Bush vetoed the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act, which passed the Senate with 63 votes to 37. It was the first time he’s used his veto power in his 6 years in office. Read the rest

In the Sept 2006 edition of Wired magazine, a 32 year old wants to put having kids on hold for the next few years to focus on her career. She asks whether she should consider freezing some eggs now rather than play the odds and hope for a healthy baby at 40. Wired’s response was the following: Read the rest

Charles Darwin’s trip to the Galapagos Islands significantly influenced his thinking and paved the way for his theory of evolution. Since the 1970s, Princeton biologists Peter and Rosemary Grant have been studying Darwin’s Finches and now claim that they’ve witnessed evolutionary change because of competition first hand. Read the rest

More older women are opting for fetal testing to ensure their babies won't have a congenital disease such as Down syndrome. Right now, the main way these genetic tests are done is by extracting some of the fetus' cells via amniocentesis - when the doctor uses a needle to draw fluid from the sac surrounding the fetus - or chorionic villus sampling - when the doctor takes a sampling of the placenta. However, both procedures have a 1-2% chance of ending in miscarriage. Read the rest

Last year, paleogeneticist Svante Paabo announced he was going to reconstruct the Neanderthal genome. Now, Paabo estimates he'll have a draft completed within two years. Read the rest

Author: Michael Shermer
Publisher: Times Books
Year Published: 2006
Rating:
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I've always liked Michael Shermer's witty, skeptical approach to virtually everything in his Scientific American columns. Regardless of whether I agree with his conclusions, he always offers me a new perspective on various, obscure topics. So it was with great interest that I picked up his new book, Why Darwin Matters. Read the rest

Author: Michael Bellomo
Publisher: AMACOM
Year Published: 2006
Rating:
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Human stem cell research is a major hot button topic that divides the conservative and scientific communities. Religious conservatives see it as tampering with nature and even playing God. Scientists, on the other hand, see the potential to treat many of the life threatening diseases of our times - from heart disease and diabetes to Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. Read the rest