Revised entry by James Garson on May 13, 2008. Changes to: Main text] A modal is an expression (like 'necessarily' or 'possibly') that is used to qualify the truth of a judgement. Modal logic is, strictly speaking, the study of
Scientists have created what is believed to be the first genetically modified (GM) human embryo.A team from Cornell University in New York produced the GM embryo to study how early cells and diseases develop. It was destroyed after five days.
After stalling in Congress for more than a decade, a bill that bans discrimination on the basis of a person's genes won approval on May 1. President Bush is expected to sign it this week. Known by the acronym GINA,
Reverend George Exoo is a leading figure in the right-to-die movement. He says he has helped 102 people to commit suicide. But, reports Jon Ronson, most of his clients were not terminally ill, just depressed and in need of psychiatric
In a poll for the Guardian, MPs voted 63 to 26 in favour of hybrid embryos; 56 to 21 for "saviour" siblings; and 56 to 26 to remove the "need for a father" in IVF treatment.The poll questioned 53 Labour
Ryan T. Anderson has an interesting entry over at the First Things blog about an ethics conference he attended at Princeton. It makes for sobering reading. He begins with a quote from Princeton philosophy professor Elizabeth Harmon. From his column:Look,
An experimental gene therapy treatment appears to have helped eight children with a rare and incurable neurological disorder, although it may have been responsible for the death of one, researchers reported on Tuesday. (Reuters)
There is a column in The Gurdian that illustrates vividly the ugly reality of assisted suicide. The writer Jon Ronson followed some suicide facilitators around, and found that their "compassion" leaves much to be desired. For example, Susan (a pseudonym),
NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander is preparing to end its long journey and begin a three-month mission to taste and sniff fistfuls of Martian soil and buried ice. The lander is scheduled to touch down on the Red Planet May 25.
The 2007 NASA Government Invention of the Year is a heat shield material slightly more dense than balsa wood that is designed to protect spacecraft during their fiery re-entry into Earth's atmosphere.
NASA's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate has selected the winners of its high school contest to describe the passenger and cargo aircraft of the future.
NASA will hold two media briefings on Tuesday, May 20, beginning at 11 a.m. EDT, on the international Ocean Surface Topography Mission (OSTM)/Jason-2, which is dedicated to monitoring sea-level rise and improving weather and climate forecasts.
The story of the first supposedly genetically altered human embryo is making headlines around the world. From the story:The study appears to be the first report of genetically modifying a human embryo. It was presented last fall at a meeting
While it has long been known that embryonic stem cells have the ability to develop into any kind of tissue-specific cells, the exact mechanism as to how this occurs has heretofore not been demonstrated. Now, researchers at the Hebrew University
This spring, the President's Council on Bioethics released a 555-page report, titled Human Dignity and Bioethics. The Council, created in 2001 by George W. Bush, is a panel of scholars charged with advising the president and exploring policy issues related
A decision to forcibly impose chemotherapy on an 11-year-old Hamilton boy who didn't want to go through another round of painful treatment was "heavy-handed" and "worrisome" considering how often similar conflicts arise, several bioethicists said Monday. (The Chronicle Herald)
