When Does Human Life Begin?

T here is a tremendous consensus in the scientific community about when life begins.  This is hardly controversial.  If the claim were made that life was discovered on another planet, for example, there are well-defined criteria to which we could refer to conclusively determine whether the claim was accurate.  How do scientists distinguish between life and…

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Doubt cast over tiny stem cells

Studies refute the existence of very small embryonic-like cells endorsed by the Vatican. by Alison Abbott Does a rare and minuscule cell type with the potential to repair almost any tissue in the body really exist? Proponents of very small embryonic-like cells (VSELs) extracted from bone marrow say that the cells have the potential to…

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China’s Brutal One-Child Policy

LONDON — ZHANG YIMOU, the celebrated film director and arranger of the 2008 Summer Olympics’ opening ceremony in Beijing, was accused last week of being the latest high-profile violator of China’s one-child policy. The People’s Daily, the Communist Party mouthpiece, alleged that Mr. Zhang had fathered seven children with four different women. The news has…

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News Science Genetics Down’s syndrome cells ‘fixed’ in first step towards chromosome therapy

Researchers shut down the extra chromosome responsible for Down’s syndrome, paving the way for future treatments Scientists have corrected the genetic fault that causes Down’s syndrome– albeit in isolated cells – raising the prospect of a radical therapy for the disorder. In an elegant series of experiments, US researchers took cells from people with DS and…

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