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The Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study, an international test of fourth- and eighth-grade student achievement, recently released its latest results. As in prior years, the mean U.S. scores were roughly on par with those in most developed nations in Europe, though well below those in Asia. But students in other developed nations far outpaced U.S. students in top-level science scores. For instance, only 10 percent of American eighth-graders performed at the highest level in science, placing the U.S. 11th among the tested nations and well behind countries such as England (17 percent), Japan (17 percent), and Singapore (an...

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Japanese scientists said Friday they had derived stem cells from wisdom teeth, opening another way to study deadly diseases without the ethical controversy of using embryos... (AFP articles cannot be republished)Click here for the article.

Governor Paterson announced $109 million in funding for stem cell research yesterday as part of a $600 million initiative approved in last year’s budget. ... Yesterday’s announcement coincided with a convocation ceremony at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. “Human embryonic stem cells offer an unprecedented opportunity to study all aspects of human development,” the hospital’s president, Dr. Harold Varmus, said in a statement.

John Edwards had a lot he wanted to say at the Democratic National Committee's fall meeting on Nov. 30. In a fiery speech, he ran down a litany of issues such as Iraq, health care and workers' rights, going well over his allotted 10 minutes and stepping on the other presidential candidates' time. But as lengthy as his remarks were, there was one issue he never mentioned: stem cells. He wasn't alone. Barack Obama didn't address the topic in his speech, either. Nor did any of the other candidates present. Stem cells also slipped the minds of DNC chairman Howard...

WASHINGTON, Dec. 10, 2007 – Lacking technology that can see bombs inside cars or explosive vests under clothing, coalition forces are getting help from local concerned citizen groups to get “ahead of the blast” in what officials say is the most effective way to stem those types of violence. Officials are using the surge of tips from local groups to attack networks of insurgent activities. The payoff has been a 60-percent drop in attacks in the country in the past six months, Navy Rear Adm. Gregory J. Smith, director of communications and deputy spokesman for Multinational Corps Iraq, said in...

Tuesday's announcement that scientists had found a noncontroversial way to make cells equivalent to human embryonic stem cells did not just change the scientific and ethical landscape. It generated economic and geopolitical tremors through California, New York and about half a dozen other states that have invested -- in some cases heavily -- in embryonic stem cell programs and research centers.

The scientist who helped ignite cultural and political controversy with the use of embryos in stem-cell research believes his new discovery – using ordinary adult skin cells – means the war is virtually over. "A decade from now, this will be just a funny historical footnote," James A. Thomson told the New York Times in an interview. Thomson's laboratory at the University of Wisconsin was one of two that announced Tuesday a new way to turn ordinary human skin cells into what appear to be embryonic stem cells without using a human embryo. The technique involves adding four genes to...

Hopes have been raised of a new treatment to free thousands of diabetes sufferers from the burden of daily insulin injections. Scientists revealed findings of a study which shows that 15 young patients with type one diabetes overcame their dependence on insulin after being treated with their own stem cells

WASHINGTON, March 16, 2007 – Tribal leaders are cooperating with U.S. and Iraqi security forces to reduce terrorist-staged violence in Diyala province, senior U.S. and Iraqi military officials said today. U.S. and Iraqi officials have urged prominent sheikhs in Diyala province “to work with their people to become part of the security process and part of the political process (to) drive a wedge (between) the terrorists and any auxiliary support or direct support that they may receive from the people,” Army Col. David W. Sutherland, commander of the 1st Cavalry Division’s 3rd Brigade Combat Team, said from his headquarters...

THE NEW BARBARIANS Politicians in the Democratic Party hypocritically complain about the 3,000 American soldiers who have died in Iraq these past four years. But what about the FOUR MILLION unborn Americans that have died these past four years because the Democratic Party refuses to support a Human Life Amendment to our Constitution that would make abortion unlawful? In addition, what about the thousands of human beings that will die because of the Democratic Party's approval of embryonic stem cell research? Unlike adult stem cell & umbilical cord blood research, there exists only wishful thinking & false promises, but no...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 13, 2007 – For the new U.S. strategy in Iraq to succeed, Iraqis must work in concert with American military forces toward ending sectarian violence, President Bush said today during his weekly radio address. “Their leaders understand this, and they are stepping forward to do it,” the president said. “But they need our help, and it is in our interests to provide that help.” Bush said ending sectarian violence and providing security for the Iraqi people would help foster a political solution to the country’s problems. During a Jan. 10 televised address to the nation, the president...

It looms as the ultimate "repair kit" for elite athletes — stem cells harvested from their newborn's umbilical cord used to treat career-threatening injuries. The Sunday Times reported recently that at least five professional soccer players in England have had stem cells from the blood of their children's umbilical cords frozen. It's being done to protect their progeny in the event of future illness, but is also seen by some of the athletes as a potential aid to fix their own damaged cartilage and ligaments in the future. One unidentified Premier League player told the British newspaper: "As a footballer,...

FARMERS BRANCH – ... residents crowded into the council chambers to discuss whether the city should restrict illegal immigrants through such measures as making it illegal for landlords to lease property to them; fining businesses that employ them; making English the city's official language; and halting funding for children of illegal immigrants to participate in ... youth programs. Those ideas, by council member Tim O'Hare, were borrowed from ordinances adopted by Hazelton, Pa., and under consideration by cities in California, Florida and elsewhere. Mayor Pro Tem Ben Robinson had more ideas. He suggested that the council also consider prohibiting the...

Oregon's two senators voted with the Senate majority Tuesday to overturn the president's limits on embryonic stem-cell research, setting the stage for the first veto of the Bush administration. "Please, Mr. President, don't veto this bill," said Sen. Gordon Smith, R-Ore., noting that his family has a history of Parkinson's disease. "Such a veto, I fear, may only throw out hope, healing and human life along with the unused embryos." Sixty-three senators voted to allow federally funded researchers to conduct medical research on surplus embryos from fertility clinics. The bipartisan vote was enough to move the bill to the president's...

06/14/06 -- Researchers at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) and the University of Calgary have found that stem cells derived from adult skin can create neural cell types that can be transplanted into and function in mouse models of disease. This research is reported in the June 14, 2006 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience. SickKids researchers previously discovered what type of cells can be made from these stem cells (called skin-derived precursors, or SKPs) based on the role played by neural-crest stem cells during embryogenesis. In addition to generating the peripheral nervous system, neural crest stem cells generate...

Maryland will become one of four states that have agreed to fund stem cell research, following final passage yesterday of legislation in the House of Delegates and a pledge from Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. (R) to sign it, despite misgivings by most lawmakers in his party. With Ehrlich's signature, the state will offer as much as $15 million in grants in the coming year to university and private-sector researchers seeking treatments for debilitating conditions through work on stem cells, including those derived from human embryos.

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - God sees embryos as "full and complete" humans, Pope Benedict said on Wednesday in an address that firmly underlined the Roman Catholic Church's stance against abortion and scientific research on embryos. "The loving eyes of God look on the human being, considered full and complete at its beginning," Benedict said in his weekly address to the faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square. Quoting Psalm 139, Benedict said the Bible teaches that God already recognises the embryo as a complete human. That view is the basis for the Church teaching that aborting or manipulating these embryos amounts...

LIFE STYLE EXTRA (UK) - British scientists have successfully repaired patients' damaged livers by using bone marrow stem cells from their own blood. The victim is first injected with a drug which stimulates their bone marrow to produce extra stem cells. The stem cells are then harvested from the blood and injected into a vein or artery leading directly to the liver. Although the researchers are unsure what the cells then do they seem to help repair any liver damage, reports New Scientist. The finding raises the prospect of regenerating diseased livers and avoid problems with current liver transplants where...

Researchers have discovered that certain cells inside the hair follicle are true multipotent stem cells, capable of developing into the many different cell types needed for hair growth and follicle replacement. 6 Oct 2005, 09:42 GMT - Using an animal model scientists at the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL) have demonstrated that these holoclones can be used for long-term follicle renewal. The researchers isolated stem cells from rat whisker follicles, labeled them and grew them in culture for 140 generations. They then implanted progeny cells into the skin of newborn mice whose hair follicles were just being formed. This...