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Controls, Controls, Controls

Aug 16, 2007

On his blog, Mike the Mad Biologist tries to figure out why some scientists do not use positive and negative controls in their experiments. He points to a 2004 study that found 91.3 percent of Streptococcus pneumoniae had a TEM-1 beta-lactamase resistance gene, but was run without adequate negative controls. In June, Mike continues, a paper in the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy used only negative controls in their experiments and still got positive results due to rampant contamination.

Breaking News
The Scan

Pig Organ Transplants Considered

The Wall Street Journal reports that the US Food and Drug Administration may soon allow clinical trials that involve transplanting pig organs into humans.

'Poo-Bank' Proposal

Harvard Medical School researchers suggest people should bank stool samples when they are young to transplant when they later develop age-related diseases.

Spurred to Develop Again

New Scientist reports that researchers may have uncovered why about 60 percent of in vitro fertilization embryos stop developing.

Science Papers Examine Breast Milk Cell Populations, Cerebral Cortex Cellular Diversity, Micronesia Population History

In Science this week: unique cell populations found within breast milk, 100 transcriptionally distinct cell populations uncovered in the cerebral cortex, and more.