Even as the book of Haruko Obokata (小保方 晴子) had been fading in popularity on Amazon Japan (update: it is now increasing again), there is some other news with her as she has launched a new website. The website, STAP Hope Page, seems to often not work now, but you can also see it here via …
Haruko Obokata (小保方 晴子) launches new website with STAP claims Read More »
Science humor can be fun especially if it has an edge to it and if one is a bit burned out on grant writing. In that spirit, we have two silly science jokes for a Thursday. Why did the professor make an ovine-feline chimera? Answer: She had always wanted to herd cats. Why did the bioethicist …
There’s a growing trend whereby patients have to pay to be in a clinical trial. This is now widely referred to as “pay-to-play”. Proponents of this idea point toward potential benefits in the form of patients gaining access to innovative therapies. They also argue that this approach provides a much-needed funding mechanism for the trials …
Poll: How do you feel about ‘pay-to-play’ clinical trials? Read More »
Stem cell clinics are spreading like wild-fire across the U.S. A few months back the Sacramento area got a new stem cell clinic selling amniotic stem cell therapies for a variety of ills including most prominently arthritis and pain. This clinic is called Nervana Stem Cell Center. I first noticed it via a huge ad …
Stem cell clinic Nervana new ad claims no side effects & FDA OK Read More »
Senators Mark Kirk, Joe Manchin, and Susan Collins have proposed new legislation in the form of the REGROW Act that would substantially interfere with the FDA’s ability to properly regulate the development of new stem cell and regenerative medicine therapies based on hard science. The REGROW Act would force the FDA to allow rushed introduction of experimental stem …
REGROW Act is Attack on Science-Based Stem Cell Trial Oversight Read More »
Stay tuned. Quiz is being updated for 2017 [mtouchquiz 2]
The two main crops growing in my garden now are peas and fava beans. The former is in the last week or two as I overwintered them and got a ton of peas in February and first two weeks of this month. Unfortunately, there are about 1,000 similar, wacky-looking bugs on my pea patch. Helpful …
Where my garden is overrun with wacky leaffooted bugs Read More »
Some would argue that much of life boils down to a series of risk versus reward decisions. This equation-based way of viewing life can be applied both to personal and professional levels. When it comes to the latter and to biomedical scientists specifically, how much risk should we take? What forms could this risk take? …
On the science riskometer, how much are you willing to take? Read More »
Several of us here at UC Davis and other Northern California institutions have worked together to organize a unique symposium on CRISPR and genetic modification. You are invited to attend the free meeting, which will take place on May 26th. You can register here. We will cover CRISPR ethics, policy, and law as they relate both …
Invitation to attend novel CRISPR ethics & policy symposium Read More »
I like Easter eggs, science and writing, and Easter is less than a week away. I also think that games and puzzles as well as contests where there are prizes are fun. In this spirit I’ve hidden a scientific Easter egg inside of my new book, GMO Sapiens. If you are the first to find it …
Find Easter egg hidden in my new book GMO Sapiens & win $250 Read More »