Uncoupling Scientific Progress From Human Progress: How Did We Arrive At This Place? A Three Part Series.

Source: studentblogs.med.ed.ac.uk Mike Magee A fundamental principle in human physiology and homeostasis is the negative feedback loop. When the body produces too much of something, a negative signal is transmitted back to the source which limits further production until peripheral over-production declines. These systems of checks and balances have evolved over the millennia to protect us […]

“Zika” meets “Bayh-Dole Act” meets “Twitter”

Mike Magee Few on the planet remain unfamiliar with an infectious disease threat that was invisible to most a year or so ago – the Zika virus. It’s association with microcephaly and original concentrated appearance in Brazil (home to the 2016 Summer Olympics) has created the image-driven, news barrage that publicized the threat. All of the […]

Syn 3.0 – A Model T Chassis For Synthetic Biology.

J.Craig Venter Institute team Mike Magee A decade or so ago, I had the opportunity to moderate an educational forum that featured Craig Venter. Venter was relatively fresh off of the competitive race to define the human genome, a scientific battle that ended in a truce with current NIH director, Francis Collins. After shaking hands, […]

Obama’s True Legacy May Be Winning The War On Cancer

Mike Magee In 1971, President Richard Nixon declared a “War On Cancer”.(1) But 42 years later, it may be President Obama who declares victory. If so, it will be as much a result of Obama’s fundamental re-ordering of the war’s priorities, as to the simple passage of time and straight-line progress. This week, the simultaneous […]

Autism Advocacy Beginning To Pay Off: Will Others Benefit As Well?

Mike Magee We live in an age of advancing health consumerism. What began as a declaration of empowerment, has matured through direct and indirect education of the consumer public, and has been reinforced by active involvement, engagement and activism. This growth and evolution has been spotty (more evident in those who are educated, insured, and […]

NIH Leader Francis Collins Optimistic For Science

VIDEO INTERVIEW : NIH DIRECTOR Francis Collins MD SOURCE: USA Today “Dr. Francis Collins sees a world of possibilities with medicine and the light-speed advances that await mankind. A universal flu shot? Ending the HIV epidemic in the U.S.? A human genome map as part of everyday patient care? Why not? The physician-geneticist, guiding hand of the international Human […]

Indoor Tanning Is Carcinogenic

Becky Wiley, The Skin Cancer Foundation The misconception that there is no scientific basis for banning indoor tanning needs to be dispelled. Recent studies provide evidence linking indoor tanning bed use to melanoma and reinforce the declaration by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) that indoor tanning devices are carcinogenic to humans. A press […]

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