Does medical research need a sunshine law?

Darkfrog submitted, created time 6 months 2 weeks (www.nature.com)

A U.S. supreme court justice once said, "Sunshine is the best disinfectant." The sunshine here, is a metaphor for disclosure. The idea is that once the information is out in the open, corruption will disappear

2 comments | Blog It | Email It | Keywords: ethics medical ethics research ethics conflict of interest conflicts of interest laws funding politics human behavior

Humans Marrying Robots? A Q&A with David Levy

New Jersey starts mandatory HIV testing for pregnant women

Darkfrog submitted, created time 1 year 1 week (www.nytimes.com)

This article is short and matter-of-fact, almost like a Reuters article. As of six months from now, New Jersey will require pregnant women to get tested for HIV as part of their prenatal regimen (ultrasounds and folic acid and the like). The idea is that by catching the virus early on in pregnancy, the woman can start antiretrovirals and plan a Caesarian birth. I heard that the chance of the child being born infected drops to around 1% but I don't know if this statistic is accurate

3 comments | Blog It | Email It | Keywords: pregnant women HIV AIDS testing women pregnancy prenatal testing babies fetuses human reproduction science and culture politics laws New Jersey

Solution for NYC Bodega rodent problem

Darkfrog submitted, created time 1 year 2 weeks (www.nytimes.com)

The problem: The bodega owners will be fined for keeping cats in the stores, but a live cat is a thousand time more effective against rodents than traps and exterminators are.

Remember all those articles about pheromones? (http://www.discover8.com/article/Parasites_ingenious_tricks_are_protozoans_making_you_more_daring__0)

The solution: MAKE AN ANTI-RAT SPRAY THAT SMELLS LIKE CAT PEE.

1 comment | Blog It | Email It | Keywords: cats rodents food economics laws rats mice pheromones