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STUDIES FIND STEM CELLS CAN BE MADE FROM SKIN GENES IN MICE
FINANCIAL TIMES - Three scientific teams published separate studies
showing that embryonic stem cells can be made by reprogramming some of
the genes in adult skin cells, without having to create an embryo - at
least in mice. Separately, a fourth scientific paper showed that newly
fertilized eggs could be used instead of unfertilized eggs to produce
cloned mice. If this technique were extended to humans, it might open up
a new source of stem cells for therapeutic cloning research: frozen
early-stage human embryos, which are much more plentiful than human
eggs.
The animal research, carried out in the US and Japan and published in
the journal Nature, will encourage opponents of human embryo
experiments. But the scientists involved in the studies said it was far
too early to tell whether the same procedures would work with adult
human cells, let alone whether it would be safe to use clinically to
treat disease. . .
President George W. Bush banned federal funding of human embryo research
in 2001 and has since vetoed bipartisan legislation that would have
eased restrictions on the study. That has stoked fears among scientists
that the US will fall behind in stem cell research - a trend that is
already taking place in fields such as technology and engineering.
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CHIMPS FOUND TO PASS ON CULTURE
CHARLES Q. CHOI, LIVE SCIENCE - Chimpanzees readily learn and share
techniques on how to fiddle with gadgets, new research shows, the best
evidence yet that our closest living relatives pass on customs and
culture just as humans do. . .
In the wild, chimpanzee troops are often distinct from one another,
possessing collections of up to 20 traditions or customary behaviors
that altogether seem to form unique cultures. Such practices include
various forms of tool use, including hammers and pestles; courtship
rituals such as leaf-clipping, where leaves are clipped noisily with the
teeth; social behaviors such as overhead hand-clasping during mutual
grooming; and methods for eradicating parasites by either stabbing or
squashing them. . .
Over time, the researchers found each technique for tool use and food
extraction spread within each group. In essence, these groups displayed
their own unique culture and local traditions. . .
http://www.livescience.com/animals/070608_chimp_culture.html
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STUDIES FIND STEM CELLS CAN BE MADE FROM SKIN GENES IN MICE
FINANCIAL TIMES - Three scientific teams published separate studies
showing that embryonic stem cells can be made by reprogramming some of
the genes in adult skin cells, without having to create an embryo - at
least in mice. Separately, a fourth scientific paper showed that newly
fertilized eggs could be used instead of unfertilized eggs to produce
cloned mice. If this technique were extended to humans, it might open up
a new source of stem cells for therapeutic cloning research: frozen
early-stage human embryos, which are much more plentiful than human
eggs.
The animal research, carried out in the US and Japan and published in
the journal Nature, will encourage opponents of human embryo
experiments. But the scientists involved in the studies said it was far
too early to tell whether the same procedures would work with adult
human cells, let alone whether it would be safe to use clinically to
treat disease. . .
President George W. Bush banned federal funding of human embryo research
in 2001 and has since vetoed bipartisan legislation that would have
eased restrictions on the study. That has stoked fears among scientists
that the US will fall behind in stem cell research - a trend that is
already taking place in fields such as technology and engineering.
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
CHIMPS FOUND TO PASS ON CULTURE
CHARLES Q. CHOI, LIVE SCIENCE - Chimpanzees readily learn and share
techniques on how to fiddle with gadgets, new research shows, the best
evidence yet that our closest living relatives pass on customs and
culture just as humans do. . .
In the wild, chimpanzee troops are often distinct from one another,
possessing collections of up to 20 traditions or customary behaviors
that altogether seem to form unique cultures. Such practices include
various forms of tool use, including hammers and pestles; courtship
rituals such as leaf-clipping, where leaves are clipped noisily with the
teeth; social behaviors such as overhead hand-clasping during mutual
grooming; and methods for eradicating parasites by either stabbing or
squashing them. . .
Over time, the researchers found each technique for tool use and food
extraction spread within each group. In essence, these groups displayed
their own unique culture and local traditions. . .
http://www.livescience.com/animals/070608_chimp_culture.html
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