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“Reproduction in mice without eggs”: an announcement to be tempered
The announcement by British and German scientists at the beginning of the week has "certainly fuelled the imagination". They have succeeded in "making mice reproduce without eggs" (see “Reproduire des souris sans recourir à des ovocytes" - Reproduction in mice without...
Abortion: American bishops denounce an “extreme and misleading” campaign
A media campaign launched by the "Catholics pro choice" association in the United States has fuelled lively reactions amongst American bishops. Members of the association using the slogan "Abortion in good faith" are presenting themselves as "pro-abortion" Catholics...
“Living longer has never been considered a burden or challenge”
Monsignor Ivan Jurkovic, the Holy See Permanent Observer, addressed the UN during the Council's 33rd Session on Human Rights, calling for greater protection for the rights of the elderly. Considering existing legislation to be "inadequate ", Monsignor...
Council of Europe: surrogacy once again under debate
A report condemning so-called "commercial" surrogacy and extolling "altruistic" surrogacy will be presented to the Council of Europe on Wednesday, 21 September by Petra De Sutter, transgender MP and Belgian gynaecologist (see GPA au Conseil de l’Europe : la...
Cybathlon: the competition that tests equipment adapted to physical disability
A Cybathlon will take place in Zurich, Switzerland, on 8 October. The initiative is based on fact: in the United States, more than 1.6 million people have undergone amputation and the WHO estimates that there are almost 65 million wheelchair users worldwide. On a...
Italy: a campaign to boost fertility does not have the desired outcome
The Italian Ministry for Health has launched a campaign intended to boost fertility rates as part of a national fertility plan adopted on 28 July 2016. With a fertility rate of 1.37 children per woman, Italy ranks in 208th position out of 224 countries. However,...
Increasing numbers of Chinese women are travelling abroad to freeze their eggs
In China, where reproductive medicine is strictly regulated, surrogacy and egg donation are forbidden. However, more and more single Chinese women "are travelling abroad to freeze their eggs in order to keep their options open and control the pace of their lives". In...
Creating ears from apples?
"Ears designed from pieces of apple?" - this is precisely what has been attempted by Canadian researchers led by biohacker, Andrew Pelling. They have "grown" ears in fruit cellulose. Their study, which has been published in the PlosOne journal, explains the process:...
Transhumanism “refutes the possibility of an authentically human life”
The transhumanist project "turns the idea of mankind originating from the Enlighteners upside down", explains Nicolas Le Dévédec, Doctor of Sociology and Political Science. If the culture of the Enlighteners wanted "to improve society and our social living conditions...
French scientists focus on the beginnings of life
A team of French scientists has carried out studies in mice to understand how the sperm fuses with the egg at the moment of fertilisation. Christine Gourier, who led the investigation, explained: "Two to three minutes elapse between contact and fusion, but very little...
In Great Britain, the debate on euthanasia has been relaunched from the perspective of organ donation
A difficult question because, as pointed out by Professor Daniel Alam, the micro-vascular surgeon in charge of the first face transplant performed in the United States, at the Cleveland Clinic (Ohio), "the central part of the face is also the key to our physical...
Death of the first face transplant patient
Isabelle Dinoire, the first face transplant patient, died on 22 April 2016. The announcement of her death was delayed based on an agreement with her family. She underwent a partial nose, mouth and chin transplant on 27 November 2005 at the CHU Amiens...