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It's Easier if You Think of Them as "Endangered" Viruses

Nov 29, 2007

The new issue of the New Yorker has an article -- which will, of course, take more than a quick coffee break to read -- about evolutionary biologists and the latest advances that have enabled scientists to reconstruct extinct viruses to see how they work. The article wends its way through epidemiological history, concepts about synthetic biology, and public concerns about this kind of work while at the same time introducing leading researchers and their breakthroughs in the field.

 

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.