Visit Killfile's column >>

KILLFILEHome Page

Epicurean Intelligentsia
Add To Watchlist
Articles Posted: 317; Links Seeded: 7950
Member Since: 2/2006Last Seen: 2/09/2010

UK's first genetically selected baby born

Read ArticleArticle Source: Ahern's inclusion in artists' tax-break scheme 'galling' - The Irish Times - Thu, Jan 07, 2010
advertisement

The first British baby genetically selected to be free of a breast cancer gene has been born, doctors said today. She grew from an embryo screened to ensure it did not contain the faulty BRCA 1 gene, which passes the risk of breast cancer down generations.

University College London said the mother and her little girl were doing "very well".

Published to:

What's this?
Who's leading the conversation?
This visualization below allows you to see the impact that each user has on the current conversation. The top row contains the group of users who have had the most impact, the 2nd row the group of users who have had the 2nd most impact (et cetera). Users with similar impact are grouped together, and the average score of the group is shown to the left of the group. The author of the article is also shown on the left, in their corresponding group. Each user's score is based on the number of comments the user has made plus the number of votes their comments have received. The scores are calculated relative one another, so while their absolute value is not particularly important, their relative difference does indicate a larger difference in impact on the conversation.
4.5
{"commentId":4732673,"authorDomain":"killfile"}

Sadly, the child is not possessed of adamantium claws or the ability to manipulate magnetic fields through sheer force of will. Her superpower is being free of the breast cancer gene.

This strikes me as, frankly, a rather roundabouts way of accomplishing something obvious. Wouldn't it have been much easier to just select a male embryo and be done with it? Sure, guys can get breast cancer but it's staggeringly improbable.

{"commentId":4732673,"threadId":"465457","contentId":"2292559","authorDomain":"killfile"}
  • 3 votes
Reply#1 - Fri Jan 9, 2009 12:06 PM EST
{"canLink":false,"threadId":"465457","isPrivate":false}
Leave a Comment:
You're in Easy Mode. If you prefer, you can use XHTML Mode instead.
As a new user, you may notice a few temporary content restrictions. Click here for more info.
{"threadId":"465457","contentId":"2292559"}
Start TrackingStart Tracking
Stop TrackingStop Tracking