The Molecular Full Monty

Ellen Goodman / Truthdig Oct 23, 2008 A cohort of entrepreneurs and scientists is the cutting edge of the Personal Genome Project. In an act of altruism and/or exhibitionism, the PGP-10 have put their medical records, traits and genetic codes on the Web where all the scientists, paparazzo and peeping Toms can see them. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

DNA Scientist Apologizes for Race Remarks

Staff / Truthdig Oct 20, 2007 Nobel-winning scientist James Watson, half of the DNA-pioneering team Watson and Crick, is undergoing a firestorm of criticism for recent comments he made in London's Sunday Times about how he was "inherently gloomy about the prospect of Africa" because "all our social policies are based on the fact that their intelligence is the same as ours -- whereas all the testing says not really." Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Baby Shark Conceived Without Father

Staff / Truthdig May 25, 2007 In one of the more startling scientific discoveries of late, two teams of researchers have found that a baby hammerhead born in a Nebraska aquarium six years ago was conceived via parthogenesis -- i.e., without the genetic contribution of a male. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

The Cancer-Fighting Chickens of Edinburgh

Staff / Truthdig Jan 15, 2007 The same research lab that cloned Dolly the sheep has found a way to produce cancer-fighting proteins in genetically modified chicken eggs. Although practical treatments could be years off, the process promises to reduce the cost and complexity of generating cancer medicine. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Franken-Heifers Immune to Mad Cow

Staff / Truthdig Jan 3, 2007 Using a combination of genetic engineering and cloning, scientists from the U.S. and Japan have successfully eliminated the protein that causes mad cow disease. So far the cows in the lab have proven immune to the illness, which shreds its victims' brains, driving them mad. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Cloned Food to Go Unmarked

Staff / Truthdig Dec 28, 2006 The Food and Drug Administration is set to approve food products derived from cloned animals and their offspring. Though eating beef from a cloned cow may seem incredibly creepy, the FDA has decided the manufactured twin is just as safe as the original animal, and requires no special identification once in the food supply. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Fertility Clinics Offer Brave New World

Staff / Truthdig Sep 4, 2006 Doctors on the frontier of in vitro fertilization now offer to test embryos for predisposition to treatable cancers and other ailments using the same technique that detects some serious childhood maladies. As scientists learn more about the code that builds human life, critics warn of an age when the wealthy will be able to buy a healthier brood. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Sam Harris: The Language of Ignorance

Sam Harris / Truthdig Aug 16, 2006 The bestselling secularist author of "The End of Faith" delivers a scathing review of "The Language of God," a new book by Human Genome Project head Francis Collins that attempts to demonstrate a harmony between science and evangelical Christianity. Dig deeper ( 13 Min. Read )

Gene Gerard: White House Failing America?s AIDS Crisis

Gene Gerard / Truthdig Jun 17, 2006 A new report shows that Bush has slashed anti-AIDS programs across the board. Meanwhile, he's pandering to the religious right by pushing abstinence-until-marriage programs--regardless of the fact that they are proven ineffective at stopping the spread of HIV. Don't bother Bush with facts; his mind is made up. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Gene Gerard: Abstaining from Sex Education Politics

Gene Gerard / Truthdig Jun 2, 2006 New Truthdig contributor Gene Gerard, a longtime college professor of history, religion and ethics, examines the efforts of conservative legislators to stifle discussion of contraceptives in public schools--in favor of abstinence-only education. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

Study: Sexual Desire in the Genes

Staff / Truthdig May 30, 2006 Researchers have discovered that differences in human sexual desire can be attributed to genetic variations. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )