FDA mulling 3-parent embryos

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By Matt Smith, CNN

updated 7:06 PM EST, Thu February 27, 2014

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

(CNN) -- A promising way to stop a deadly disease, or an uncomfortable step toward what one leading ethicist called eugenics?

U.S. health officials are weighing whether to approve trials of a pioneering in vitro fertilization technique using DNA from three people in an attempt to prevent illnesses like muscular dystrophy and respiratory problems. The proposed treatment would allow a woman to have a baby without passing on diseases of the mitochondria, the "powerhouses" that drive cells.

The procedure is "not without its risks, but it's treating a disease," medical ethicist Art Caplan told CNN's "New Day" on Wednesday. Preventing a disease that can be passed down for generations would be ethical "as long as it proves to be safe," he said.

"These little embryos, these are people born with a disease, they can't make power. You're giving them a new battery. That's a therapy. I think that's a humane ethical thing to do," said Caplan, the director of medical ethics at New York University's Langone Medical Center.

"Where we get into the sticky part is, what if you get past transplanting batteries and start to say, 'While we're at it, why don't we make you taller, stronger, faster or smarter?' "

But Susan Solomon, the director of the New York Stem Cell Foundation, said there are no changes to existing genes involved.

"There is no genetic engineering. It isn't a slippery slope. It's a way to allow these families to have healthy children," said Solomon, whose organization developed the technique along with Columbia University researchers.

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FDA mulling 3-parent embryos

Ronda Rousey Rumored to Fight Gina Carano or Cris Cyborg in July

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Isaac Brekken/Associated Press

The first ever womens MMA superfight could be on the horizon, pitting UFC champ Ronda Rousey against either Cristiane Cyborg Justino or Gina Carano.

During an appearance on KROQs Kevin & Bean Show on Friday (h/t MMAFighting.com), UFC commentator Joe Rogan teased at a huge announcement coming from the UFC, possibly within the next week, regarding Rouseys next opponent.

Within the next probably week or so a huge announcement will come about women's fighting and I'll be back in [the studio] and we'll talk some more, Rogan said. It's going to be crazy. Madness. I wish I could [talk about it now], but I would betray the confidence of my friend and employer.

UFC President Dana White recently told Yahoo! Sports Kevin Iole that Rousey was the biggest star in UFC history.

Unfortunately, pay-per-view numbers arent generated by compliments. Rouseys headliner against fellow Olympian Sara McMann a little more than a week ago at UFC 170 didnt live up to Whites forecast in buys at the pre-fight media scrum. This was especially disappointing considering McMann was penned as Rouseys biggest fight left in the womens bantamweight division.

It also didnt help that it took Rousey only 66 seconds to dispatch of McMann and record her third straight UFC title defense.

An appetite for marquee fights seems insatiable at this point, considering the glaring gap in skill between Rousey and the rest of the bantamweight division. Fortunately for fans, hope could lie in Rogans teaser of a major announcement forthcoming from the UFC.

MMA journalist Dave Meltzer echoed Rogans comments in the Wrestling Observer (h/t BloodyElbow.com), and he named Carano and Cyborg, two of MMAs biggest stars, as the two potential opponents:

Rousey has two potential opponents, both of which would draw huge for different reasons. The first is Gina Carano. Carano hasn't fought in four-and-a-half years. There would be hell to pay in criticism for UFC if they were to make that fight, if Carano would even have interest in it.

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Ronda Rousey Rumored to Fight Gina Carano or Cris Cyborg in July

'Cyborg' has Rousey in her sights

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Ronda Rousey secured a TKO victory against Sara McMann in 66 seconds Getty Images

Invicta FC featherweight champion Cristiane Justino has a plan for 2014, which she hopes will lead to UFC bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey by December.

Justino (12-1) recently hired medical consultants to help her start shedding weight in an attempt to make the 135-pound bantamweight limit by midsummer.

The plan calls for Justino, aka 'Cyborg', to defend her 145-pound Invicta title in late April or early May, most likely against Ediane Gomes. Justino would then fight for Invicta's 135-pound title in a quick turnaround, perhaps as early as July.

In previous interviews, the Brazilian fighter hinted she was entering the final fight on the Invicta contract she signed last year. Invicta president Shannon Knapp wouldn't offer details, but said the proposed two title fights wouldn't necessarily require Justino to sign a contract extension.

"I won't confirm or deny where she is on her contract, but I can tell you she would still be contractually under Invicta on her current deal [in that situation]," Knapp told ESPN.

A former Strikeforce champion, Justino publicly stated her intent to drop to 135 pounds last Saturday, hours before Rousey (9-0) was scheduled to defend her title against Sara McMann at UFC 170 in Las Vegas. Rousey won the fight via first-round TKO.

Justino is scheduled to compete in a 145-pound muay Thai bout at Lion Fight 14 on March 28 in Las Vegas. According to her attorney George Prajin, Justino typically weighs approximately 170 pounds between fights and has a hard time even cutting to her current weight class.

The goal is for Justino to gradually drop, under a physician's supervision, over the next few months, which would make her next two cuts to 145 pounds easier. She would then make a practice cut to 135 before fighting for the Invicta bantamweight title this summer.

Earlier this month, Justino's manager, former UFC champion Tito Ortiz, stepped down from his involvement with her. UFC president Dana White has criticised Ortiz's handling of Justino's career in the past.

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'Cyborg' has Rousey in her sights

Biologists Hope For Another Busy Sea Turtle Nesting Season [GALLERY]

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News Release: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

More sea turtles nest on Floridas sandy beaches than on any other U.S. coastline. Biologists at the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) hope the 2014 nesting season that started March 1 will be as successful as others in recent years.

This month, leatherback sea turtles begin to emerge onto beaches to lay their eggs along Floridas Atlantic coast, from Broward to Brevard counties. A few months later, people in other coastal counties also may notice loggerhead and green sea turtle crawls, the distinctive line of tracks they leave behind in the sand.

Three species of sea turtles nest in abundance on Florida beaches: leatherbacks, loggerheads and greens. Loggerheads are the most abundant, and approximately 90 percent of all nests for this species in the southeastern United States occur in Florida. Sea turtle biologists were surprised and pleased in 2013 when a record number of more than 36,000 green sea turtle nests were counted in Florida.

The great news is that so many sea turtles nest on Florida beaches more than anywhere else in the United States, said Dr. Robbin Trindell, who is responsible for sea turtle management at the FWC. Florida had a record number of loggerhead nests in 2012, followed by a record number of green turtle nests in 2013.

Typically, sea turtle nesting season runs from March through the end of October, but nesting continued well beyond that in 2013. Green turtles generally nest later than the other sea turtle species in Florida. FWC biologists would not be surprised if nesting season extends later into the fall again this year, and they caution beachgoers that marked nests on the beach may hatch well past the official end of nesting season in October. The actions that people take are critical to maintaining Floridas success with sea turtles, Trindell said. Remove chairs, canopies, boats and other items from the beach at night, because they block the movement of turtles and hatchings. Dont forget to turn off or shield lights on the beach, to prevent hatchlings from getting confused and going toward land instead of the salt water where they belong.

In Florida, sea turtle landings on the beach are documented by volunteers, who assist the FWCs researchers. About 2,500 FWC-permitted volunteers regularly patrol more than 800 miles of sandy shoreline to identify, mark and protect sea turtle nests. They collect nesting data and also share their knowledge with beachgoers on how to help conserve sea turtles.

Support Floridas sea turtles by purchasing the Helping Sea Turtles Survive license tag at BuyaPlate.com. Tag funds are spent on sea turtle research, rescue and conservation efforts. People also can donate $5 and receive an FWC sea turtle decal. Learn more about sea turtles at MyFWC.com/SeaTurtle.

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Biologists Hope For Another Busy Sea Turtle Nesting Season [GALLERY]

Citizens for Conservation hosting kids astronomy class

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Article updated: 3/3/2014 6:13 PM

Citizens for Conservation will present a Leave No Child Inside class focusing on astronomy from 7:30-9:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 5 at the Flint Creek Savanna, 459 W. Route 22, in Barrington.

Astronomers Edith and Tom Auchter will lead an evening of stargazing, discuss where one would find a nebula and answer questions about outer space. Telescopes will be on-hand, but if you have one, please bring it for the evening.

The class is open to children ages 6 and older. Caregivers are required to attend. A portion of the class is outdoors, so dress for the weather. Class size is limited and will fill quickly, so register early.

CFC members are free. Nonmembers pay $5 for the first child and $1 for each additional child. Please make checks payable to Citizens for Conservation.

Registration forms can be found at http://www.citizensforconservation.org. Call CFC at (847) 382-SAVE (7283) with any questions.

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Citizens for Conservation hosting kids astronomy class

Rocket man visits Southport

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Getting to meet a fighter pilot is pretty amazing; getting to meet an astronaut is out of this world.

Students at the 3 Canadian Forces Flight Training School (3CFFTS) got the chance to meet Canadian astronaut Maj. Jeremy Hansen on Feb. 27 and listen to him recount his journey of getting to fly into space.

Its a fantastic opportunity for students here to see what options are available in the Royal Canadian Air Force and the Canadian Armed Forces, said Lt.-Col. Peter Fedak of 3CFFTS.

Hansen, who grew up on a farm near Ailsa Craig, Ontario, began his trek towards being an astronaut as an air cadet at 12 years old and received a private pilots licence at 17. He later gained a Bachelor of Science degree in Space Science from the Royal Military College whereupon he earned a Master of Science in Physics in 2000 with a focus on wide field of view satellite tracking.

Prior to joining the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), the 38-year-old served as a CF-18 fighter pilot and held the position of combat operations officer at Four Wing Operations in Cold Lake, Alberta.

Ive kept this dream of going into space since I was a young child. My tree house was a spaceship and I was always going on space missions as a kid, said Hansen. As I got older, I understood the challenges of being an astronaut and knew it wasnt likely for me, but I knew it was possible. I just kept aiming for that goal.

Hansen has been in training and working with NASA since May 2009 as one of two Canadian members waiting to fly into space before 2020. Being only one of 12 Canadians in the history of the CSA to go into space is a privilege for Hansen.

Thats something Im entitled to and its true Ive worked hard, but really what it comes down to is Im just a really fortunate Canadian to have this opportunity to fly into space, he said.

During his presentation, Hansen discussed some of the changes that are happening in the space program, including the commercialization of space travel.

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Rocket man visits Southport

NASA and the Japanese Aerospace Agency Launch GPM Satellite #NASA #JAXA – Video

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NASA and the Japanese Aerospace Agency Launch GPM Satellite #NASA #JAXA
From the Tanegashima Space Center near the southernmost tip of Japan, NASA and the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) launched a joint mission to s...

By: w1TenMinutes

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NASA and the Japanese Aerospace Agency Launch GPM Satellite #NASA #JAXA - Video

MARA To Establish Asia Aerospace City In Subang

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Rural and Regional Development Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal said Edubizpark is an educational and business park conceptualised by MARA to provide a platform for seamless interaction between academic institutions and industry players, part of MARA's strategy to prepare industry-ready human capital.

The AAC is designed as a smart city comprising a range of integrated facilities such as offices, cutting-edge research and development facilities, academic campuses, a convention centre and residential space.

"This project could take up opportunities in the international aerospace industry as Airbus has launched its 'Power 8' programme to strengthen the supply chain all over the world," he said at the launch of Menara MARA in Kuala Lumpur in conjunction with MARA's 48th anniversary Monday night.

It is estimated that up to 40 per cent of passenger aircraft sales will be in Asia by 2020, Mohd Shafie said, adding that European Aerospace Defence and Space (EADS) plans to invest up to US$250 million (RM800 million) in Malaysia by 2020.

He said this industry will generate 10,000 engineering positions worth RM1.5 billion for engineering services, excluding maintenance, repairs and overhaul and others.

Earlier, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Najib Tun Abdul Razak and Mohd Shafie witnessed the signing of an agreement between Pelaburan MARA Bhd and Atkins Global (Atkins) for the development of the AAC in Subang Jaya.

United Kingdom-based Atkins Global is one of the world's leading design, engineering and project management consultants, and as lead consultant and master planner will assist in undertaking the design and planning in relation to the strategic development of the aerospace centre.

Pelaburan MARA will take a lead role as the master developer for the AAC, which is to be a key aerospace centre and envisioned to be a premier edubizpark for engineering services relating to the aerospace industry.

The AAC will be built around several key design principles incorporating the latest thinking in urban planning and green technology.

Pelaburan MARA Group Chief Executive Officer, Nazim Rahman said this partnership will be a major milestone towards making Malaysia a leading aerospace hub in the region.

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MARA To Establish Asia Aerospace City In Subang