CLibertyC

Scientists switch off chromosome that causes Down’s syndrome

"Gene scientists on Wednesday said that in lab-dish cells, they had found a way to switch off the rogue chromosome that causes Down’s syndrome. The breakthrough opens up the tantalising goal of therapy for Down’s, they said, cautioning that years of work lie ahead before this aim is reached — if, in fact, it is attainable. Down’s syndrome is the world’s leading genetically caused mental disease, accounting for around one in 600 live births in the United States. It is the first time that correction has been achieved for an entire chromosome, a coil of DNA that is studded with hundreds of genes, the protein-making codes to build and sustain life." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingScientists switch off chromosome that causes Down’s syndrome

Bunnies glow green in the dark, join lots of other glowing animals

"Earlier this week, a litter of bunnies were born in Istanbul. Scientists were pleased. That’s because two of the bunnies have been successfully genetically engineered to glow in the dark, a feat that the team of scientists from the University of Hawaii and a Turkish lab say demonstrates advanced genetic modification. These are not the first glow-in-the-dark rabbits: In 2000, artist Eduardo Kac commissioned a French lab to create for him a luminescent rabbit, Alba, also using borrowed genes from jellyfish. He called that rabbit art. The scientists called it science. A philosophical tussle ensued. And then a legal one. The glowing rabbit died before the matter was settled." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBunnies glow green in the dark, join lots of other glowing animals

Woman drives 190 miles asleep at the wheel on sleeping medication

"Told that the woman had been sleep-driving 10 months previously and had a fondness for the beach, police ordered patrol cars to keep a lookout for her silver hatchback and began tracking her via her mobile phone. They said data showed the phone was on and she was sending texts as she drove from her Hamilton home to the beachside town of Mount Maunganui via Auckland, a distance of almost 300 kilometres (190 miles). After five hours on the road, she was finally found slumped over the wheel of her car in the driveway of a house she used to live in, with no recollection of her sleepy sojourn." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWoman drives 190 miles asleep at the wheel on sleeping medication

‘Safe’ sugar levels in humans are toxic to mice

"Sugar is toxic for mice in dosages that in humans would equal a 'safe' diet that includes three cans of soda per day, scientists said Tuesday. Mice fed a diet in which sugar contributed a quarter of their daily calories did not become obese or ill, yet died younger and had fewer babies than animals on a healthy diet, said the team — raising red flags about 'added sugar' levels some consider safe for humans. 'Added sugar' is a term used for the refined stuff that is added to sweet drinks, baked goods and candy rather than the natural sugars found in fruit, vegetables and milk products. Sugar consumption in the American diet had increased by 50 percent since the 1970s." Continue reading →

Continue Reading‘Safe’ sugar levels in humans are toxic to mice

Footage of distressed cows stir questions about growth drugs

"Tyson Foods Inc declared it would no longer accept cattle that had been fed the most popular brand of the feed additive, called Zilmax, a powerful and fast-selling product from pharmaceutical company Merck & Co. The debate over Zilmax follows a similar dispute over ractopamine. China and Russia have banned the import of meat from ractopamine-fed animals, and the U.S.-based pork giant Smithfield Foods in May announced it will stop feeding ractopamine to half its pig herd, a move seen as an effort to recapture the lucrative China market. The FDA has deemed beta-agonists safe both for farm animals and for human health." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFootage of distressed cows stir questions about growth drugs

Taking pills for unhappiness reinforces the idea that being sad is not human

"I was trouble at school. Thank God this was in the early 80s, otherwise I bet someone would have suggested Ritalin. For, since the mid 80s, society has decided that adolescent trouble-making is some sort of medical condition. We have given it a scientific-sounding classification, ADHD, securing a sense that a messy adolescence is pathological, some sort of chemical imbalance. Thus the scientists are called in to reinforce generally conservative norms of appropriate behaviour. In the US, between 1987 and 2007, there was a 35-fold increase in the number of children being classified as having some form of mental deficiency." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingTaking pills for unhappiness reinforces the idea that being sad is not human

Hospital technician pleads guilty to leaving dirty needles after feeding his painkiller addiction

"A former hospital technician in New Hampshire who caused patients as old as 80 to become infected with hepatitis pleaded guilty to leaving dirty syringes for hospital use after he injected himself with stolen painkiller. The technician, David Kwiatkowski, had previously admitted to knowing that he was infected with hepatitis C. He pleaded guilty to 14 criminal counts related to seven cases in which he caused infections in patients ranging in age from about 40 to more than 80. He was working at Exeter Hospital in New Hampshire in early 2012 when he began stealing syringes of the powerful pain medication Fentanyl." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingHospital technician pleads guilty to leaving dirty needles after feeding his painkiller addiction

School boards searching for Obamacare loopholes to avoid paying some benefits

"Hit by years of budget cuts, some U.S. public school boards are looking to avoid providing health benefits to substitute teachers and supporting staff under President Barack Obama’s reform law, education officials say. According to the law, employers will have to offer health coverage to all full-time employees, defined as those who work an average of 30 or more hours per week each month, or else pay a fine starting in 2015. The need to find creative solutions, or risk cutting back staff hours further, will increase as they finalize their budgets, they say." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSchool boards searching for Obamacare loopholes to avoid paying some benefits

How Your Boss’ Prying Eyes Could Land You a Visit from the Feds

"By some estimates, more than two-thirds of company-provided computers in the U.S. are monitored by employers. If you work for such a firm, every email you send, every cute and crazy cat video you watch on YouTube, and every Google search you make is tracked, catalogued, and archived somewhere in the system. Sometimes, that can lead to unwanted consequences, as it did for New Yorkers Michelle Catalano and her husband a couple weeks ago: a visit from the Suffolk County, New York, 'Joint Terrorism Task Force.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingHow Your Boss’ Prying Eyes Could Land You a Visit from the Feds

Ron Paul blasts establishment in Ron Paul Channel debut

"Yesterday, Ron Paul launched his new internet media outlet. The fireworks began during the opening tease, with Paul claiming that President Obama 'perpetuates terror while he claims to prevent it' through his use of drone strikes to combat terrorism. The former Congressman and Republican presidential candidate also blasted the war on drugs and the Federal Reserve. That was all in the first minute. The highlight of the show was even more controversial: Paul’s exclusive interview with Glenn Greenwald. Greenwald has published the series of stories on Edward Snowden’s disclosures about the domestic surveillance activities of the NSA." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingRon Paul blasts establishment in Ron Paul Channel debut