Dino reality or just fantasy?
Jurassic World has taken the world by storm, breaking all box office records in the process. But is it actually possible? The reality is that it could be, if (and that is a big if), we had access to dino DNA! Unfortunately DNA is not stable in an aqueous environment and over a long period […]
Screening for cancer: too much or too little?
The debate about cancer screening has again been in the news with the disconnect between the prevalence of cervical cancer and the lack of routine screening being raised for women over 65. Half of all deaths attributable to cervical cancer are in women over 65 and this has fuelled calls for the upper limit of […]
A mother’s curse…
Each cell of the body contains tiny engines which generate energy; these are called the mitochondria and they are essential to life. They contain their own DNA, which is always inherited from the mother and can be associated with genetic disease. Professor Gemmell of the University of Otago, New Zealand calls this the “mother’s curse” […]