Monitor The Strategic Trends

Introduction:

The threat of germ warfare has brought to the forefront long-forgotten diseases like plague, anthrax, and smallpox. Recent television news programs have highlighted secret projects in the former Soviet Union to develop antibiotic-resistant strains of genetically engineered viruses and bacteria.

NEW! Getting Fuel From Bacteria January 24, 2012

The Newest Beasts Of The Earth January 03, 2012

Genetic Engineering: Toward The Super Human? November 22, 2011

No Patenting Human Embyros September 20, 2011

The DNA Mixing of Mice and Men... and Goats August 02, 2011

NEW! The Hybrid Age by Dr. Thomas R. Horn

Transhumanism and the Enhancement of Man More Than Human by Dr. Martin Erdmann

(Un)Natural: The Ethics Of Transgenics by Steve Elwart, Senior Analyst Koinonia Institute

Nanotech Vs. Superbugs by Amy Joy Hess, Research Analyst, Koinonia Institute

Biotechnology: Escaping the Laws of Sin and Death? by Patrick Wood, Research Associate/IDB and Editor of The August Review

News Sources

Sugar-Free Diets Don't Stop Cancer - A study by a team of researchers at Johns Hopkins and elsewhere shows that lymph gland cancer cells called B cells can use glutamine in the absence of glucose for cell replication and survival, particularly under low-oxygen conditions, which are common in tumors. When the investigators used a glutaminase (a glutamine enzyme) inhibitor, cancerous growth of B cells was stopped in petri dishes.

Scientists Keep New Bird Flu Strain Under Wraps - The U.S. government paid scientists to figure out how the deadly bird flu virus might mutate to become a bigger threat to people, and two labs succeeded in creating new strains that spread easier. On Tuesday, federal officials took the unprecedented step of asking those scientists not to publicize all the details of how they did it. The worry: That this research with lots of potential to help the public might also be hijacked by would-be bioterrorists. The labs found that it appears easier than scientists had thought for the so-called H5N1 bird flu to evolve in a way that lets it spread easily among at least some mammals.

Geron Stops Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research - Geron, the first company ever permitted to test human embryonic stem cells on people, announced Monday it is halting the studies to focus on developing two cancer drugs. Researchers have long held out hope that embryonic stem cells would be the key to treating a variety of ailments because they can turn into any type of tissue in the body and be reproduced in vast quantities in laboratories. But studies to develop treatments from them have been subject to delays in part because of ethical concerns surrounding the cells, which are harvested from discarded 3-to-5-day-old embryos. Monday's decision throws into question the future of the most-advanced study so far and puts a cloud over the commercial viability of stem cell treatments.

Using Measles To Fight Cancer - The discovery of how measles spreads could lead to promising new approaches in treating cancer, according to a new study published in Nature. An international team of researchers recently discovered the measles virus leaves its host through a receptor called nectin-4, which is located in the trachea. Scientists say the trachea is a part of the human body that is ideally suited to airborne infection. Scientists say nectin-4 is a biomarker for certain types of cancer such as breast, ovarian and lung cancers. Since measles actively targets nectin-4, scientists are working on ways to use a modified version of the measles virus to attack cancer cells.

Nearly Half a Million Cholera Cases Reported in Haiti In 12 Months - Almost 470,000 cases of cholera, including 6,595 deaths, have been reported in Haiti since an epidemic of the disease erupted in the Caribbean country one year ago, the United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) reported Monday. There are currently 37 cholera treatment centres in Haiti, 269 cholera treatment units and 766 oral rehydration posts.

BioTech: The Sorcerer's New Apprentice - Audio CD - Chuck Missler Updated April 2006! Chuck Missler surveys some of the most promising prospects and reviews the types of ventures emerging. He also reveals some of the concerns emerging among the informed, and includes some of the provocative Biblical implications. Click for more information - Audio CD with MP3

BioTech: The Sorcerer's New Apprentice - Audio CD - Chuck Missler Updated April 2006! Chuck Missler surveys some of the most promising prospects and reviews the types of ventures emerging. He also reveals some of the concerns emerging among the informed, and includes some of the provocative Biblical implications. Click for more information - Audio CD with MP3