Scientists Identify How a Biological Pathway Leads Stem Cells to Die or Regenerate
A new study led by Cedars-Sinai and the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), has determined that altering a cellular process can lead stem cells—cells from which other cells in the body develop—to die or regenerate. The [...]
‘People aren’t taking this seriously’: experts say US Covid surge is big risk
In the fourth year of the pandemic, Covid-19 is once again spreading across America and being driven by the recent holidays, fewer precautions and the continuing evolution of Omicron subvariants of the virus. New sub-variants [...]
The gift that doesn’t keep on giving: non-existence
The philosophy of anti-natalism refuses to die. In the latest issue of Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics, Finnish bioethicist Matti Häyry renews the argument for reproductive abstinence. The headline over the article gives the game away: [...]
Ethical ancient DNA research must involve descendant communities, say researchers
The analysis of ancient DNA allows scientists to trace human evolution and make important discoveries about modern populations. The data revealed by ancient DNA sampling can be valuable, but the human remains that carry this [...]
How much should people worry about Covid’s newly-dominant XBB.1.5 variant? Our medical analyst explains
A new Covid-19 variant, XBB.1.5, is spreading rapidly throughout the United States. In December 2022, the proportion of new Covid-19 infections due to this Omicron offshoot have increased from 4% to 18%, according to a January [...]
Womb with a view: EctoLife baby farm eliminates pregnancy and labor
The EctoLife Artificial Womb Facility envisages a controversial new way to be pregnant, with the baby growing in an idealized, but completely inhuman environment: transparent “growth pods” arranged by their hundreds in human baby farming [...]
Why the U.S. Nursing Shortage Keeps Getting Worse
Nurses in both the U.S. and U.K. flexed their bargaining muscle over the last few weeks amid increasing pressure on the countries’ respective health care system due to COVID-19. About 7,000 nurses from two New [...]
The reproducibility issues that haunt health-care AI
Health-care systems are rolling out artificial-intelligence tools for diagnosis and monitoring. But how reliable are the models? Each day, around 350 people in the United States die from lung cancer. Many of those deaths could [...]
Would You Zap Yourself With Electricity to Get Into Shape?
WALL STREET JOURNAL–The result is a more efficient way to build muscle mass and strength, say proponents, who claim that one 20-minute session of whole-body zapping achieves the same benefits as two and half hours of [...]
Weekly epidemiological update on COVID-19 – 4 January 2023
WHO–Globally, more than 3 million new cases and 10 000 deaths have been reported in the week of 26 December 2022 to 1 January 2023. This represents a reduction in weekly cases and deaths of [...]