Good quick interview. Technical, and a mention that it’s not just about telomeres.
BioViva is looking for a way to slow aging. Globalive Chairman Anthony Lacavera talks to CEO Elizabeth Parrish, who is using herself as a test subject and claims to have seen some fascinating results. (Source: Bloomberg)
Scientists recently used a gene-editing tool to fix a mutation in a human embryo. Around the world, researchers are chasing cures for other genetic diseases.
Now that the gene-editing genie is out of the bottle, what would you wish for first?
Babies with “perfect” eyes, over-the-top intelligence, and a touch of movie star charisma?
Continue reading “Will Gene Editing Allow Us to Rid the World of Diseases?” »
“If astronauts are going to make journeys that span several years, we’ll need to find a way to reuse and recycle everything they bring with them,” says Mark A. Blenner, assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at Clemson University, South Carolina.
To this end, the Blenner Research Group is looking into the potential uses of a type of yeast called Yarrowia lipolytica, that feeds on the urea content of urine.
With a little genetic engineering the group has proven that the yeast can be used to produce hydrogen and carbon – the atomic ingredients of nutrients like Omega 3, and polyester-based 3D printer filament.
Continue reading “Astronauts may depend upon recycled urine filament for 3D printing in space” »
China’s five year plan to eliminate birth defects by preimplantation genetic diagnosis of embryos.
Gene-editing with CRISPR has been in the headlines over the past month and touted as a way of eliminating genetic diseases. But the cruder and cheaper technique of preimplantation genetic diagnosis does the same. And it is exploding in China. According to a feature in Nature, fertility doctors there “have been pursuing a more aggressive, comprehensive and systematic path towards its use there than anywhere else”.
The government’s current five-year plan for economic development has made reproductive medicine, including PGD, a priority. In 2004, only four clinics in the whole country were licensed to perform PGD; now there are 40.
By Aylin Woodward
Injections of vitamin C could be a way to help fight blood cancer. Experiments in mice suggest that the nutrient helps tell out-of-control cells to stop dividing and die.
Some blood cancers, including acute and chronic leukaemia, often involve mutations affecting a gene called TET2. This gene usually helps ensure that a type of stem cell matures properly to make white blood cells, and then eventually dies. But when TET2 mutates, these cells can start dividing uncontrollably, leading to cancer. Mutations in TET2 are involved in around 42,500 cancers in the US a year.
Continue reading “Vitamin C helps genes to kill off cells that would cause cancer” »
A new interview I did on my transhumanist California Governor run:
On August 4th, Zoltan Istvan joined Merion West’s Erich Prince for an interview to discuss his campaign for Governor of California. Running in this race as a Libertarian, Mr. Istvan previously ran in the 2016 presidential election as a member of the Transhumanist Party. Working previously for National Geographic, Mr. Istvan is well-known for his writings on transhumanism, the movement that aims to improve human life and extend longevity through science. A pillar of his campaign for Governor of California includes a proposal for implementing universal basic income.
Erich Prince: Mr. Istvan, thank you for joining us this morning. Could you start by explaining the connection that you see between transhumanism, the movement you’re so involved with, and libertarianism?
Continue reading “Merion West Interviews Zoltan Istvan, Candidate for Governor of CA” »
