Bioethics News.
07/16/2014
Could Giant Viruses Be the Origin of Life on Earth?
The married virologists at Aix-Marseille University had made a career of it. But pithovirus, which they discovered in 2013 in a sample of Siberian dirt that had been frozen for more than 30,000 years, was more bizarre than the pair had ever imagined a virus could be.
07/16/2014
Calif. death penalty ruled unconstitutional
A federal judge Wednesday struck down California’s death penalty, saying the “dysfunctional” system that makes prisoners wait decades to be executed violates the constitutional ban on cruel and unusual punishment.
07/15/2014
China approves DNA-sequencing devices to detect genetic defects in unborn babies
The mainland has lifted the controversial ban on medical diagnostic products that can help detect birth defects in unborn children.
07/15/2014
Police Won’t Use Nude Photos of Va. Teen as Evidence in Sexting Case, Attorney Says
Prosecutors wanted to take a second set of nude photos, of the teen in a forced aroused state to compare them to photos he allegedly sent to his then-girlfriend.
07/15/2014
Gordon College Faces Review Over Request For Ability To Discriminate
A regional accrediting agency has placed Gordon College, a Christian school near Boston, under review as the institution seeks the legal ability to discriminate in hiring against members of the LGBT community.
07/15/2014
Children Of Gay Parents Are Happier And Healthier Than Their Peers, New Study Finds
Children raised by same-sex couples have better health and well-being in comparison to their peers, according to a groundbreaking new study which is being billed as the largest of its kind.
07/10/2014
The Brave New World of Three-Parent I.V.F.
A microscopic image that shows a genome being removed from a donor egg. 1. Manipulation pipette. 2. Donor egg. 3. Holding pipette. 4. Zona pellucida (encircling the egg). 5. Location of the oocyte genome (or nuclear DNA) before removal.
07/10/2014
Did Facebook and PNAS violate human research protections in an unethical experiment?
Whatever good and bad things about Facebook there are, however, there’s one thing that I never expected the company to be engaging in, and that’s unethical human subjects research.
07/10/2014
Do doctors understand test results?
Are doctors confused by statistics? A new book by one prominent statistician says they are – and that this makes it hard for patients to make informed decisions about treatment.
07/09/2014
San Francisco passes law allowing forced treatment of mentally ill
San Francisco lawmakers approved a law late on Tuesday allowing the forced treatment of mentally ill patients under certain conditions, drawing swift criticism from patient advocacy groups who say the measure tramples civil rights.
07/09/2014
NY insurer to pay up to $31 million for denied mental health claims
A New York-based health insurance company has agreed to reimburse members up to $31 million for previously denied mental health and substance abuse claims, the state attorney general said on Wednesday.
07/09/2014
Transgender Algae Show How Males and Females Came to Be
One of the few things older than the battle of the sexes is the origin of the sexes. How sexes evolved in the first place has been a lasting mystery in biology. Thanks to some transgender algae, scientists may have cracked this evolutionary whodunit.
07/08/2014
U.S. Democrats aim to turn contraception into campaign drive
U.S. Democrats hope to turn their legal setback on Obamacare and contraception into a winning autumn campaign issue by pushing legislation requiring employers to include birth control in healthcare coverage.
07/03/2014
Climate Change Threatens U.S. National Parks
A large percent of the country’s national parks have recently experienced extreme heat, precipitation or drought, which could hurt plant and animal species
07/03/2014
‘Breakthrough’ stem cell study retracted
It was hailed as a fast, easy, inexpensive and uncontroversial way to produce stem cells.
07/02/2014
Everything We Know About Facebook’s Secret Mood Manipulation Experiment
Facebook’s News Feed—the main list of status updates, messages, and photos you see when you open Facebook on your computer or phone—is not a perfect mirror of the world.
07/02/2014
Study finds vaccine side effects extremely rare
Serious complications related to vaccines are very rare, and there is no evidence that immunizations cause autism, according to an analysis of 67 research studies.
07/01/2014
Doctors Are Examining Your Genitals for No Reason
In total, gynecological screenings cost the U.S. $2.6 billion every year. And yet, a new study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine reports that there is no established medical justification for the annual procedure.
06/30/2014
Facebook responds to criticism of its experiment on users
Facebook is unapologetic about the “emotional contagion” experiment it was conducting on customers.
06/30/2014
Stem cells: Taking a stand against pseudoscience
Elena Cattaneo and Gilberto Corbellini are among the academics working to protect patients from questionable stem-cell therapies. Here, they share their experiences and opinions of the long, hard fight for evidence to prevail.
06/25/2014
Watching too much TV could shorten your life
The average American adult spends about four and a half hours a day watching TV — and that’s more than enough to take a toll on their health and longevity.
06/24/2014
It’s time to get your brain in shape
From the outside, the human brain might not be much to look at. What makes it fascinating is hidden within, in the complicated circuitry of neurons that makes you who you are.
06/24/2014
BPA Alternative May Still Have Endocrine Effects
A plasticizer commonly substituted for bisphenol A (BPA) may cause similar endocrine-disrupting effects as the original chemical, researchers reported here.
06/23/2014
Critical Care Challenge: Dying with Dignity in the Intensive Care Unit
After a long ICU stay because of septic shock and multiple complications, a frail 77-year-old man had a fall and suffered an acute subdural hematoma and hemorrhagic contusion. Twelve days after evacuation of the subdural hematoma, he remains in a coma and is still receiving mechanical ventilation. How should decisions be made about further treatment?
06/23/2014
Cancer-gene data sharing boosted
When the US diagnostics giant Myriad Genetics had its legal monopoly on breast-cancer gene testing eliminated one year ago, the company still retained an enormous edge over competitors.
06/23/2014
Why are some depressed, others resilient? Scientists home in one part of the brain.
Many of us find ourselves swimming along in the tranquil sea of life when suddenly a crisis hits — a death in the family, the loss of a job, a bad breakup. Some power through and find calm waters again, while others drown in depression.
06/18/2014
Stroke ‘selfie’ helps save Canadian woman’s life
“The sensation is happening again,” Stacey Yepes tells the camera. “It’s all tingling on left side.”
06/16/2014
Dad invents bionic pancreas to help diabetic son
Biomedical engineer Ed Damiano developed a device to monitor his son David’s blood sugar levels, but the invention could soon also wind up in the hands of other type 1 diabetics.
06/16/2014
U.S. health care system ranks last among 11 industrialized nations
Even though it’s the most expensive, the United States’ health care system ranks last among 11 industrialized nations in a new study that examines factors such as quality, efficiency and access to care