Category: Body & Mind

Harmless Stem Cell Cultivation

stem cellEmbryonic stem cell research is, for some people, morally wrong. Well, good news! A company in the USA has discovered a technique that can generate the stem cells from embryos without harming the embryo!

Stem cell research is important because it can provide for fantastic treatments for people suffering from various ailments. This new technique will hopefully allow more research to happen.

“The technique used by the company is similar to the one already used to extract single cells from IVF embryos when they are screened for inherited disorders. Dr Lanza and his team believe that it will be possible to adapt the existing technique so that stem cells could be almost routinely extracted from human IVF embryos without harming their future health and well-being.”

Socially Conscious Capitalism

The WorldWatch Institute is running an article that asks Is Capitalism Growing More Socially Conscious? It looks like yes, the case is that capitalism is showing a little heart. Corporate Social Responsibility is gaining influence in investment firms and Fortune 500 companies.

I know that this isn’t great news, but as far as I’m concerned, capitalism caring for people is hugely symbolic. I hope that this trend continues.

“The growth of CSR among major corporations has been spurred by a parallel development in social consciousness among investment firms. In April, the United Nations launched its new Principles for Responsible Investment, a series of guidelines on how to integrate environmental, social, and corporate governance issues into the financial industry. As of August 1, the diverse signatories to the Principles together controlled more than $5 trillion in assets. This enormous quantity of money, expected to grow as the initiative wins new adherents, will make SRI central to the practices of the financial investment industry.”

TorGame: Waking City

Toronto is becoming more and more interesting, and this time a group of people are doing something truly amazing. TorGame is a puzzle game kinda like the Da Vinci Code, but with no religious undertones. You explore the city and interact with people (or something) around the city. A great way to explore the urban space of Toronto.

The game is starting to get a lot of press coverage so you should register your teams soon. The game starts mid-September. There is also an info session this coming Thursday.

(I am volunteer with TorGame)

Bird Flu, No Flu?

We all know that the bird flu H5N1 is bad, some people argue that millions will die as a result of it. Ouch. Don’t despair though!

A team of researchers have noticed that a certain aspect of H5N1 itself can be used to fight other influenza strains. Still it’s a mixed bag because the same property can render existing H5N1 flu solutions null.

“Researchers have discovered a detail of the H5N1 bird flu virus’s structure that could be exploited to make new, targeted influenza drugs.”

Sub-Saharan Africa Makes Milestone in HIV Treatments

Universal health care for all is still years away, but the number of people receiving HIV antiretroviral therapy has reached the one million mark in sub-Saharan Africa. This is a huge milestone that was announced this week at the International AIDS Conference.

“The one million figure represents a tenfold increase since December 2003, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Sub-Saharan Africa still accounts for 70 per cent of the global unmet treatment need, however, and 95 per cent of the 38.6 million people living with HIV/AIDS live in the developing world, where countries face tremendous challenges in dealing with the epidemic.”