Baby Editing: Controversial and Moving Ahead Despite Concerns
Thursday, 31 October 2019
It’s hard to believe that less than 20 years ago, the White House announced what may be the most important discovery in human history: we had unraveled the structure of the human genome. After years of painstaking effort from scientists all over the world , we finally discovered how the genes that make us who
- Published in Dr. Legato's Blog
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Women and Work for Pay: Why They Do It and How Happy It Makes – or Doesn’t -Make Them
Thursday, 17 October 2019
There’ve been a few interesting studies of women in the workforce lately; unfortunately, the data for the most part are based on interviews from small samples and don’t describe the attitudes, demands and expectations of different generations of women. In any case, most observers agree that societal expectations of men and women are not only
- Published in Dr. Legato's Blog
Remembering And Forgetting: The Role Of Sleep In Memory
Thursday, 10 October 2019
Our fascination with sleep is universal and ancient. One of my favorite images from Greek mythology appears repeatedly in the cameo brooches of the Victorian era. It shows the goddess of night, Nyx, with a baby on each shoulder. One is her son Hypnos, the god of sleep and the other Thanatos, the god of
- Published in Dr. Legato's Blog
“Lungs of the Earth” at serious risk
Monday, 23 September 2019
From sprawling lichen to the most tenacious jaguar, the Amazon is home to millions of diverse species. An intricate ecosystem dwells among the foliage of the rainforest, which produces 6% of the planet’s total oxygen (giving it the memorable title, “Lungs of the Earth.”) This ecosystem is in grave danger, according to Robinson Meyer of The
- Published in Dr. Legato's Blog
“NIH fetal tissue research requirements raise worries” – Discussion
Thursday, 29 August 2019
On June 5th, 2019, the Trump administration placed a ban on intramural studies involving fetal tissue at the National Institute of Health, stymying their ability to study multiple infectious diseases and developmental disorders. Extramural research proposals using fetal tissue, while not entirely banned, are subject to an ethics board review process which may take up
- Published in Dr. Legato's Blog
“Revisiting the Flight of Icarus: Making Human Organs from PSCs with Large Animal Chimeras” – Discussion
Monday, 26 August 2019
Pluripotent stem cells, also known as “master” cells, have the ability to divide into all three types of body layers in humans – the ectoderm (skin and nervous system), the endoderm (endocrine glands, liver, pancreas, respiratory and gastrointestinal tracts), and the mesoderm (bone, muscle, cartilage, circulatory system and connective tissues.) These “master cells” have the
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“What Women Need to Know” Question & Answers August 2019
Wednesday, 07 August 2019
caffeine Q. I need a cup or two of coffee in the morning to get me going. My daughter, who follows a strict macrobiotic diet, has been nagging me about my coffee drinking. She contends that caffeine (I only drink caffeinated coffee) is an addictive drug that can cause all kinds of health problems. I
- Published in Dr. Legato's Blog
Alzheimer’s Disease “What Women Need to Know” Question & Answers July 2019
Sunday, 28 July 2019
Alzheimer’s Disease Question: Since I have become menopausal, I have become very forgetful. Although I have no trouble remembering events that happened a long time ago, I do have difficulty recalling such simple things as the name of a person to whom I was just introduced. Am I showing signs of Alzheimer’s disease? Answer: Loss of
- Published in Dr. Legato's Blog
WOMEN’S PAIN IS DIFFERENT FROM MEN’S—THE DRUGS COULD BE TOO
Friday, 12 April 2019
MEN AND WOMEN can’t feel each other’s pain. Literally. We have different biological pathways for chronic pain, which means pain-relieving drugs that work for one sex might fail in the other half of the population. So why don’t we have pain medicines designed just for men or women? The reason is simple: Because no one has looked for
- Published in Dr. Legato's Blog
Teeth and Bones: Doctor Anita Radini and Her Investigations of Ancient Civilizations
Thursday, 24 January 2019
Teeth and Bones: Doctor Anita Radini and Her Investigations of Ancient Civilizations by Christiana I. Killian, Ph.D. The usual image of a medieval scribe is of a tonsured monk bending over an intricate manuscript: a labor of love and an artistic triumph that transfers knowledge from one generation to the next. But always – a
- Published in Dr. Legato's Blog