Bioethics.net

October 20, 2018 9:00 am

The culprit’s name remains unknown. But he licked a stamp, and now his DNA stands indicted. (The Washington Post)

There was just enough spit on the back of the 9-cent stamp to piece together the identity of the person who licked it. Everything except for his name.

October 3, 2018 6:00 pm

Race, Ancestry, and Medical Research (JAMA)

The discussion of race and medicine in the United States is challenging and emotionally charged. Substantial disparities in health outcomes, based on race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status, continue to exist; additional reports of racial bias and profound insensitivity in research continue to emerge in the popular media. A renewed discussion of race as a biological vs social construct has begun and is complicated by emerging data on genetics, race, and ancestry.

September 6, 2018 1:37 am

Blood-Testing Firm Theranos to Dissolve (The Wall Street Journal)

Theranos Inc., the blood-testing company accused of perpetrating Silicon Valley’s biggest fraud, will soon cease to exist.

August 13, 2018 4:11 am

Japanese medical university admits to discriminating against female applicants (Science)

A prominent Japanese medical university said yesterday that school administrators have deliberately manipulated entrance exam scores to limit the number of women admitted. The confession helps explain the lopsided gender ratio of graduates from Tokyo Medical University (TMU) and strengthens suspicions that similar practices have prevailed at other Japanese medical schools.

August 10, 2018 9:00 am

It started as a hobby. Now they're using DNA to help cops crack cold cases (CNN)

July 18, 2018 8:30 am

Defendants on Probation Can Be Jailed for Drug Relapse, Court Rules (The New York Times)

Julie Eldred argued that requiring defendants to be drug-free as a condition for probation was cruel and unusual given her severe addiction. A Massachusetts court disagreed, but declined to rule on whether addiction is a brain disease that affects a person’s ability to comply with the requirement.

June 21, 2018 8:55 am

A Pediatrician Reports Back From A Visit To A Children's Shelter Near The Border (NPR)

Nearly 2,000 immigrant children were separated from their parents after crossing the U.S.-Mexico border unlawfully this spring, according to the Department of Homeland Security. Many pediatricians have expressed concerns about the effects this traumatic event could have on those children. Dr. Colleen Kraft, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, visited a shelter in Texas’ Rio Grande Valley where some of these children are held. She spoke with All Things Considered’s Audie Cornish about that visit on Monday. She said she’s concerned that the stress the children are going through will have long-term health effects.

June 20, 2018 9:00 am

How IVF became a license to print money (The Guardian)

Private fertility clinics routinely try to sell desperate patients add-ons that almost certainly don’t help – why isn’t more done to monitor the industry?

June 7, 2018 9:00 am

What Explains The Rising Overdose Rate Among Latinos? (NPR)

Opioid overdose deaths among Latinos are surging nationwide as well. While the overall death toll is still higher for whites, it’s increasing faster for Latinos and blacks, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Latino fatalities increased 52.5 percent between 2014 and 2016 as compared to 45.8 percent for whites. (Statisticians say counts for Hispanics are typically underestimated by 3 to 5 percent.) The most substantial hike was among blacks — 83.9 percent.

May 4, 2018 9:00 am

Up to 270 women may have died after England breast cancer screening failures (CNN)