India considers bill to ban commercial surrogacy
The Indian government is considering a bill to ban commercial surrogacy, which will only allow Indian couples married for at least five years to use surrogacy.
News
Image by Alan Handyside via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts a human egg soon after fertilisation, with the two parental pronuclei clearly visible.
IVM breakthrough suggests cheaper and lower-drug alternative to IVF
Researchers have reported on an experimental technique that could improve the fertilisation success rate of in vitro maturation IVM, an alternative fertility method to IVF...
Image by Alan Handyside via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts a human egg soon after fertilisation, with the two parental pronuclei clearly visible.
IVF culture media affects embryos and babies
A study comparing two common IVF media used by fertility clinics has found different outcomes in implantation success rates and birth weight...
First triplets with identical twins born to SA gay parents
A same-sex male couple in South Africa has become the first set of parents in the country to have triplets who share both the fathers' DNA...
Image by Christoph Bock/Max Planck Institute for Informatics via Wikimedia Commons. Depicts a DNA molecule that is methylated on both strands on the centre cytosine.
Hispanic longevity linked to epigenetics
Researchers in the US have found that Hispanic individuals age slower than people from other ethnic backgrounds...
Image by Peter Artymiuk via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts the shadow of a DNA double helix, on a background that shows the fluorescent banding of the output from a DNA sequencing machine.
Genetic test indicates chemotherapy benefit for early-stage breast cancer
A new genetic test could predict which patients with early-stage breast cancer patients would benefit from chemotherapy...
Image by Peter Artymiuk via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts the shadow of a DNA double helix, on a background that shows the fluorescent banding of the output from a DNA sequencing machine.
New gene influencing caffeine consumption discovered
Scientists have identified a gene variation that could influence the amount of caffeine a person consumes....
Reviews
Image by Alan Handyside via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts a human egg soon after fertilisation, with the two parental pronuclei clearly visible.
Book Review: Dead Babies and Seaside Towns
The memoirs of author and playwright Alice Jolly, as she navigates her way through miscarriage and stillbirth, and on to IVF and eventually surrogacy, help to break taboos and offer hope for those experiencing loss...
Image by Peter Artymiuk via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts the shadow of a DNA double helix, on a background that shows the fluorescent banding of the output from a DNA sequencing machine.
Book Review: GMO Sapiens - The Life-Changing Science of Designer Babies
GMO Sapiens is just the annoying grit in the machine that the genome editing debate needs, but readers deserve clearer lines between science, speculation and opinion...
Comment
Why information and choice won't solve all of NIPT's ethical problems
by Professor Ainsley Newson
Jane Fisher and Lyn Chitty highlight in BioNews 864 that it's been almost nine months since the UK National Screening Committee recommended an 'evaluative implementation of NIPT into the NHS's antenatal screening programme — a recommendation that still awaits ministerial decision...
Optimising IVF practice: Fresh or frozen embryos?
by Dr Bruce Shapiro
Is it better to transfer fresh embryos during IVF or frozen embryos that have been thawed...