Last synced from Twitter 719d ago
IVF Mix-Ups Have Broken the Definition of Parenthood
When a New York woman gave birth to twins after IVF, neither baby was related to her, or to each other.
5
Sarah Zhang
A woman gave birth to twins—only to be forced to give them up when it turned out the IVF clinic implanted someone else's embryos. I wrote about what this case means for our definition of "parenthood"
11d
2
Sarah Zhang
“I’m just praying to God I don’t have another son or daughter out there"
10d
New Coke didn't fail. It was murdered.
The "Stranger Things" kid is right—it tasted fine. It died because of a Southern rebellion.
1
Sarah Zhang
about this i feel certain after reading @timothypmurphy on what really happened to New Coke:
New Coke twitter would have been the worst twitter
12d
A Surprising Idea About the Risks of Extinction
The tiny population of wolves on Isle Royale descended from a much larger group. What if that helped doom them?
Should Human Feces Be Regulated Like a Drug?
A fecal-transplant patient has unexpectedly died just as the FDA is deciding the future of the unconventional procedure.
The Man With 17 Kids (and Counting)
After becoming a sperm donor, Tim Gullicksen wanted to get to know his donor kids. Now he invites them all out to a lake in California every summer.
2
Sarah Zhang
I wrote about a sperm donor who
- has at least 17 biological kids
- has known some of them since they were 9
- invites all of them on a lake trip every summer
35d
A Medieval Grape Is Still Used to Make Wine
It’s been genetically unchanged for at least 900 years.
1
Sarah Zhang
Archaeologists in France found a grape seed in a medieval cesspit—and it turned out to be genetically identical to grapes still being used to make wine today
42d
Russian biologist plans more CRISPR-edited babies
Discover the world’s best science and medicine | Nature.com
2
Sarah Zhang
Another scientist, this time in Russia, planning CRISPR-edited babies and targeting the same CCR5 gene as He Jiankui. "I think I’m crazy enough to do it," he says.
42d
We Were Missing Most of the Plastic in the Ocean
The highest levels of microplastics are found more than 650 feet below the surface.
A Mutation That Resists HIV Has Other Harmful Consequences
He Jiankui chose a famous mutation to edit into human embryos. Scientists are still trying to figure out everything it does.
An Incredible Fossil Contains a Whole School of 259 Fish
How did they all die at once?
It’s 2059, and the Rich Kids Are Still Winning
DNA tweaks won’t fix our problems.
2
Sarah Zhang
Read! This!
Geneticists, especially curious about your thoughts on this op-ed from the future
55d
Why Anti-vax Doctors Are Ordering 23andMe Tests
Naturopaths have long been obsessed with a gene called MTHFR. Now vaccine skeptics are testing for it too.
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Sarah Zhang
Anti-vax doctors have been using 23andMe tests to grant vaccine exemptions.
I traced it all back to a single paper from 2008. In hindsight, one of the authors was blistering about his own paper: "It’s just not even a valid study by today’s methodology"
60d
1
Sarah Zhang
I wrote about how anti-vaccine doctors have been ordering 23andMe tests to find exemptions using a gene called MTHFR
39d
Soviets Tried So, So Hard to Eliminate the Plague
'Literally tens of thousands of people were employed to just spoon poison into the burrows.'
Title not found
2
Sarah Zhang
Let's review what has happened since genetic genealogy was used to catch the Golden State Killer last year.
GSK was a notorious serial killer and rapist. We're told that the powerful new technique will only be used for homicides and sexual assaults
gedmatch.com/tos.htm pic.twitter.com/v4RIBEKz0n
68d
r/23andme - 23andme has just shown that I've been accidentally dating my half-sister
3,556 votes and 368 comments so far on Reddit
2
Sarah Zhang
Why limit the number of kids per donor? The usual rationale is to prevent accidental incest. The odds are pretty remote, but not zero
A guy posted on reddit earlier this year saying he and his girlfriend took 23andMe tests, and uh, you can guess
69d
The Trouble With Fathering 114 Kids
A suitor on The Bachelorette says he is a sperm donor with 114 kids—is that too many?
3
Sarah Zhang
Hi, have you heard? A contestant on The Bachelorette says he has 114 children as a sperm donor. I wrote about how many is too many and who regulates the number (Spoiler: nobody)
69d
A Decades-Old Doctor’s Secret Leads to New Fertility-Fraud Law
In the 1980s, Donald Cline fathered more than 50 children by using his own sperm in his patients. A new law makes such actions illegal.
People Are Clamoring to Buy Old Insulin Pumps
How an obsolete medical device with a security flaw became a must-have for some patients with type 1 diabetes
5
Sarah Zhang
I wrote about the underground market for obsolete medical devices that have become—for very weird and very good reasons—super coveted lately
84d
Silicon Valley Has Invented Shoes
Start-ups like Allbirds and Rothy’s are beating fashion at its own game.
1
Sarah Zhang
welcome @amandamull to the Club for People Who Have Begrudgingly Accepted Allbirds Are Good
91d
Here’s Soylent’s New Product. It’s Food.
The Silicon Valley food-drink of choice is now a ‘complete nutrition platform.’ The beverage plot thickens.