"the hardest thing in this world is to live in it"
Would someone buy this for me in a Mac version? Kthx. (More pictures, including the gorgeous top as well as a tutorial, at the link.)
[edited to add: yeah the link is down – probably ended up on a metafilter or slashdot, with the expected consequences.]
In the news today is the announcement that South Koreans have cloned cats with altered fluorescence proteins (RFP). The idea is to be able to eventually develop treatments for human genetic diseases. Researchers are also suggesting that other uses for this technology will include rescuing species from near-extinction.
And, as an added side bonus, the cats glow when exposed to when exposed to ultraviolet beams. They certainly look kind of cool.
Of course, I suspect South Korea and the scientists themselves are on edge, given the Hwang Woo-Suk scandals — but all things considered, that whole thing probably makes this particular achievement all the more likely to be true.
-Kelly Hills
Originally posted at the American Journal of Bioethics Editors Blog.
Over in the WoBioBlog, Sabrina posted an entry about female and male circumcision. Seems there is a vocal debate going on right now, based on several other blog entries elsewhere about the American Anthropological Association’s yearly meeting, where “third wave” (or subaltern) academics, including female anthropologists from Africa who voluntarily chose female circumcision as adults, spoke for the first time about the debate.
Sabrina and I are having a fun discussion in the commentary, but the links themselves are interesting and worth reading. Sometimes it can be hard to remember, as an academic, that there are multiple sides to every story. The anti-FGM crowd is very vocal in America, and to be perfectly honest, it never occurred to me that there might be a differing side with calm opinions. Sometimes you’re so high up in that ivory tower, you get lost among the clouds – forget about seeing the forest, you can’t even see the ground.
[cross-posted to the Medical Humanities blog]
Over at the Women’s Bioethics Blog, Linda has reprinted Chicago bioethicist Timothy Murphy’s spoof on the Jeff Foxworthy “you know you might be a redneck if…” joke. Some of them hit scarily close to home.
My personal favourite? You know you might be a bioethicist if “a reporter calls to ask you about a breaking case you know nothing about, but you nevertheless express an opinion.”
Definitely worth a read-thru!
-Kelly Hills
Originally posted December 10, 2007 at the American Journal of Bioethics Editors Blog.
New post up at the WoBioBlog about spray on condoms. Make your own Justin Timebrblake jokes.