I’d like to learn more about who reads this blog. Please take the above poll. Use your judgment to pick a single category that best describes you. I realize some folks may fit into more than one category. Thanks Paul
Poll on Readers: Who are you? Read More »
Is a treatment based on stem cells for Parkinson’s Disease on the horizon? A Japanese team of researchers led by Dr. Jun Takahashi, professor at Kyoto University is reportedly aiming to start on human studies of an induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell-based treatment for Parkinson’s Disease (PD) as early as fiscal year (FY) 2014. In
Trial of Stem Cells for Parkinson’s Disease on Horizon Read More »
UPDATE: Unfortunately the Betatrophin paper discussed here originally back in 2013 has now largely been proven to have come to incorrect conclusions (for more read this). Today Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI) reported the discovery, in a paper in Cell by Harvard Professor Doug Melton, of a powerful new hormone called Betatrophin that can stimulate
The headline reads: ‘Adventurous’ woman sought to carry Neanderthal baby Supposedly Harvard Geneticist George Church, according to Der Spiegel magazine (and gazillions of other mainstream media outlets that translated the German piece including here), wants to clone a Neanderthal baby using an unholy combination of stem cell and genetics technologies. The only problem is that Church
In a few hours I’m going to submit my current R01 proposal to my institutional grants office, which will then submit it to NIH as is required by NIH. I’m tired. My brain is tired. I have a cold. I’ve read the grant a hundred times at least. I’ve had colleagues read it. I’ve taken
My R01 is due in a few hours, what’s on my mind besides ice cream? Read More »
Next month there is going to be a new stem cell meeting taking place. The 1st Annual Houston Stem Cell Summit. The primary sponsor is Celltex. I’d encourage everyone to go, but I’m not so sure it’d be worth it. Why? I’m always glad to see another stem cell meeting and this one is surely unique in
Houston stem cell meeting lacks diversity & risks falling to groupthink Read More »
The fields of science related to DNA have for a long time been gene-centric. By this I mean that most scientists working in these areas have focused their attention and their efforts on the genes that make the proteins and RNAs that are the workers of the cell. What’s left over that wasn’t genes mainly
I’ve been blogging about the darker side of science in a seven part series on what I call scientific sinning or the “seven sins of scientists”. You can see the first 5 posts here as a group, which have generated a ton of interest and many thousands of reads each. The first five posts are specifically
Seven sins of scientists part 6: quid pro quo Read More »
Has there been stem cell doping in the Olympics? Readers of this blog have been asking me this question more than any other in the last week. Part of the impetus for this question is the growing number of professional athletes who more generally have received dubious stem cell treatments in foreign countries, perhaps treatments
Question of the week: is there stem cell doping in the Olympics? Read More »
I’m discussing the seamier side of science in a seven part series on what I call scientific sinning, including science hype. The first three pieces in this series covered Failure to Cite, Paper or grant killing and a Need for Speed. Today we talk about how bad it can get when scientists hype their work and I’m going
Seven Sins of Scientists Part 4: science hype Read More »