Category Archives: Genetic Engineering

Germanys Environment Ministry is hoping for a complete ban on green genetic engineering,but a Green party assessment warns that upcoming free trade agreements like TTIP and CETA could still bring genetically modified plants to the European market. EurActiv Germany reports. After the European Parliament on Tuesday (13 January passed a new Directive on Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) in Europe, the German Environment Ministry is insisting on a complete ban on green genetic engineering in Germany. It is very important that a political agreement be reached to generally apply the exclusion clause to Germany, emphasised State Secretary on Environment Jochen Flasbarth on Tuesday (13 January) in Berlin. Under the new directive, EU member states will now be able to choose to opt-out, restricting or completely banning GMO cultivation within their borders. One of the leading proponents of such a legal ban in Germany is its Ministry of Agriculture, which is led by the Bavarian conservative Christian Social Union (CSU). The Ministry also supports a national ban on cultivation. In a position paper from the Federal Ministry of the Environment, Minister Barbara Hendricks outlines that she does not want to leave any backdoors open for genetic engineering. The GMO law must be … Continue reading →

IMAGE:New Space facilitates and supports the efforts of researchers, engineers, analysts, investors, business leaders, and policymakers to capitalize on the opportunities of commercial space ventures. Spanning a broad array of... view more Credit: Mary Ann Liebert Inc., publishers New Rochelle, NY, January 14, 2015--The commercial aviation industry has medical care standards, as does NASA for traditional space missions, and the emerging commercial space transportation industry will need to define medical care practices as well. The unique risks posed by commercial spaceflight warrant the establishment of Medical Levels of Care to account for the different phases of suborbital and orbital missions, as described in an article published in New Space, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert Inc., publishers. The article is available free on the New Space website until February 14, 2015. In the article "Considerations toward Defining Medical 'Levels of Care' for Commercial Spaceflight" ," Stefan Neis and David Klaus, University of Colorado, Boulder, review current medical care practices in the civilian aviation industry and traditional space exploration sector and offer suggestions for defining appropriate onboard levels of medical care for the commercial space transportation industry, related to different types and phases of flight. Suborbital tourist flights, for example, … Continue reading →

IMAGE:The Journal of Interferon & Cytokine Research (JICR), led by Co-Editors-in-Chief Ganes C. Sen, PhD, Chairman, Department of Molecular Genetics, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, and Thomas A. Hamilton, PhD, Chairman, Department... view more Credit: Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers New Rochelle, NY, January 13, 2015--Emerging data on the role of inflammation and the immune system in the development, growth, and spread of breast tumors have focused increased attention on the role cytokines such as interleukin and transforming growth factor- play in breast cancer initiation, protection, and metastasis. A comprehensive overview of this new knowledge and its potential to lead to novel therapeutic approaches is presented in a Review article in Journal of Interferon & Cytokine Research (JICR) from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers . The article is available free on the JICR website until February 13, 2015. "The Role of Cytokines in Breast Cancer Development and Progression", coauthored by Marcella Esquivel-Velzquez and colleagues from Universidad Nacional Autnoma de Mxico (Mxico City) and Instituto Nacional de Salud Pblica (Morelos, Mexico), reviews the latest evidence to support a regulatory role for cytokines (proteins that mediate communication between cells of the immune system) in breast cancer and other cancer-related disorders. The article explores the … Continue reading →

Bioethics Project - Should we perform prenatal genetic engineering in humans? By Samantha, Eliesse and Nicole. By: Samantha Hill … Continue reading →

I would like to start this Topic with a discussion on the contents of the ancient Sumerian Tablets where genetic engineering experiments were done: 1. to create humans or human-like species (Neanderthals) through mixing human gene with the apeman's gene, and 2. to alter the features of humans. Through this discussion, we can evaluate the possibilities of whether ancient genetic engineering experiments may have been responsible for some of the weird looking bones, which had been found and which are being considered as evidences of evolution. But before I start a discussion on the contents of the Sumerian Tablets, I am going to explain a little about the contents of the ancient Sumerian Tablets here, so that the reader will understand why I am using the Sumerian Tablets in my discussion here. Then, I will connect the genetic engineering experiments, and other contents in the Sumerian Tablets, to the Neanderthals and Cro Magnons. Then, I will be discussing the following: 1. the possibilities of evolution of the apeman to the present day man 2. how the Replitians had paved the way for ET and evolution believers (just as they had paved the way for Buddha, Abraham, Christ, and Mohammad). 3. … Continue reading →

4.4 Genetic Engineering By: Juliana Agostino … Continue reading →

S033RS03 Science Topics Genetics and Genetic Engineering Science Topics Genetics and Genetic Engineering'Science Topics' BBC schools programme. Series originally broadcast on BBC2 1983 - 1985. Repeated until 1992. By: Lammas Science … Continue reading →

IMAGE:Soft Robotics, a peer-reviewed journal published quarterly online with Open Access options and in print, combines advances in biomedical engineering, biomechanics, mathematical modeling, biopolymer chemistry, computer science, and tissue engineering... view more Credit: Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers New Rochelle, NY, January 8, 2015-- By defining a set of key metrics to evaluate the fuel systems available to drive autonomous and wearable soft robots, a team of engineers and chemists are able to compare the advantages and limitations of current technology options. They assess various types of pneumatic energy sources and their benefits for specific applications in an article published in Soft Robotics, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available on the Soft Robotics website. Michael Wehner and coauthors from Harvard University (Cambridge and Boston, MA), Oregon State University (Corvallis, OR), Carnegie Mellon University (Pittsburgh, PA), Robot G and I Research (Bedford, MA), Worcester Polytechnic Institute (Worcester, MA), and Cornell University (Ithaca, NY), characterize the most advanced pneumatic energy systems designed to power untethered and wearable soft robots based on their energy density and flow capacity, as well as noise, toxic byproducts, application-specific requirements, and the time and additional parts needed for development. The … Continue reading →

IMAGE:AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses, published monthly in print and online, presents papers, reviews, and case studies documenting the latest developments and research advances in the molecular biology of HIV... view more Credit: Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers New Rochelle, NY, January 6, 2015--Timothy Ray Brown, long known only as the "Berlin Patient" had HIV for 12 years before he became the first person in the world to be cured of the infection following a stem cell transplant in 2007. He recalls his many years of illness, a series of difficult decisions, and his long road to recovery in the first-person account, "I Am the Berlin Patient: A Personal Reflection," published in AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is part of a special issue on HIV Cure Research and is available free on the AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses website. Brown's Commentary describes the bold experiment of using a stem cell donor who was naturally resistant to HIV infection to treat the acute myeloid leukemia (AML) diagnosed 10 years after he became HIV-positive. The stem cell donor had a specific genetic mutation called CCR5 Delta 32 that can protect a … Continue reading →

Organic agriculture is the most expensive, expansive hoax perpetrated on consumers during the past half-century. An affront to the environment because its low yields arewasteful of water and farmland, organic agricultureconfers no advantages except for the feel-good factor for true believers. It only survives because of massive government subsidies and promotion, and black marketing that dishonestly disparages the competition . My exposs of the many shortcomings and waning credibility of the organic agriculture industry have received a prodigious amountof attention. A 2012 Forbes column got more than a quarter million views. My most recent one on this subject, last month, attracted not only tens of thousands of readers but also a complaint from Jessica Shade, who bills herself as Director of Science Programs at The Organic Center. Thats something of an oxymoron, inasmuch as science holds little sway atthe advocacy organization she works for. Shades preamble establishes her lack of credibility: U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) organic standards are based around the principles of sustainability and health. In addition, organic farming has many environmental advantages when compared to conventional farming. None of that is true. Let me be clear about one thing, Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman said when organic … Continue reading →