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An Extra Layer

Jan 08, 2009

In Illinois, state lawmakers outlawed employers from discriminating against employees based on genetic test results, causing Hsien-Hsien Lei to wonder why US states would pass their own law now that the federal Genetic Information Non-discrimination Act has been approved. An NHGRI fact sheet she links to says the federal law is a minimum level of protection; Lei also points to a National Conference of State Legislatures table that lists which states have what protections.

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.