The Chicago Tribune has confirmed a German TV report that says Floyd Landis’ “A” sample had an 11:1 T/E ratio. That would pretty much wipe out any possible “natural” explanations. In addition, the Tribune notes that a carbon isotope test detected external (unnatural) testosterone, but that he has not yet Read more…
Tour de France champion Floyd Landis failed the testosterone–epitestosterone (T/E) ratio test. This is just one of many different aspects of drug testing in athletics, but rarely are these tests explained well to the public. The typical Caucasian male has a T/E ratio of 1:1. One in 2000 males has a Read more…
(Image Courtesy of Yale University;cortical neuron is yellow at the top of the photo) Previous research [1] suggested that after about the 7th week of development, the cells that will eventually make up most of the human cortex start to migrate from their point of origin, the ventricular zone. Now, researchers Read more…
Wealthy people may turn to Botox, tummy tucks, and spas in their search for a youthful appearance, but recent evidence suggests that the easy life alone provides some protection from aging. Tim Spector and his colleagues published an article in Aging Cell about their work with 17 pairs of Read more…
One of the challenges of modern living is the need to make ethical decisions about emerging technologies. In many cases, the technology is up and running long before we figure out how best to use it.
The stem cell bill that President Bush just vetoed would have allowed the National Institutes of Health to fund research using stem cell lines developed after 2001. Is that sufficiently confusing?
Let’s back up a bit. First of all, a stem cell is an undifferentiated cell that can divide and differentiate into other cell types. Consequently, researchers are very excited about the potential of growing replacement cells for damaged tissues, such as in cases of spinal cord damage.
Not all stem cells are equal. There are three main sources today for stem cells–adult stem cells, cord blood stem cells, and embryonic stem cells. It is the latter type that is controversial. These are harvested from the blastocyst stage of the embryo, about 5 days following conception.
In 2001, President Bush signed legislation that would provide federal funds for research using stem cell lines already in existence, since these embryos had already been destroyed, but would not fund research requiring the destruction of additional embryos. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) funded 607 million dollars of stem cell research in 2005.
Some researchers argue that this is unnecessarily restrictive, and that their research is hindered by the inability to study new cell lines. (more…)