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It's Comeuppance Time

Sep 22, 2008

The US Federal Trade Commission is taking a swing at companies that promote cancer cures online, reports the Los Angeles Times. The director of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection, Lydia Parnes, says they will be taking action against 11 companies. "We found all of these claims to be nothing short of breathtaking, and not in a good way," she says. One company, Omega Supply, allegedly sold hydrazine sulfate, a carcinogen, and another, Herbs for Cancer, allegedly sold different types of tea as cancer cures. FDA also said they may take a look at the companies.

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.