Sound embryo ruling: a Tennessee court accepts that an eight-cell blastomere is not advanced enough to be considered a person
Article Abstract:
The Tennessee Supreme Court ruled in May, 1992 that frozen human embryos at the four-to-eight cell stage are actually preembryos that have not yet become legal persons. The case involved a dispute between a divorced couple over what to do with several frozen embryos they had obtained through in vitro fertilization while married; the ex-wife wanted to donate the embryos while the ex-husband wanted them disposed of. The Court cited the 1990 report of the American Fertility Society which declared that human life begins after the eight-cell stage rather than at conception. The Court deserves praise for its carefully reasoned opinion.
Publication Name: Nature
Subject: Zoology and wildlife conservation
ISSN: 0028-0836
Year: 1992
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Sound and rock art
Article Abstract:
Paleolithic art found in the caves of Lascaux and Font-de-Gaume was found to have been influenced by the acoustic character of the chambers in which they had been drawn. Drawings of ungulates are more likely to be found in chambers that can echo percussive noises to produce sounds similar to hoofbeats, while acoustically silent chambers are drawn with felines. These caves may have significance in ritual as hunters summoned game animals by imitating the sound of whole herds for them to hunt.
Publication Name: Nature
Subject: Zoology and wildlife conservation
ISSN: 0028-0836
Year: 1993
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Limit the number of grants per person
Article Abstract:
Some Principal Investigators (PIs) at the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) have more than seven research grants, and this means less opportunity for independent investigators. Limiting the number of research grants to two per PI would provide about 3,000 new RO1 grants for young investigators. The NIH may need to revise the rules by which grants are awarded so that a more equitable distribution is achieved.
Publication Name: Nature
Subject: Zoology and wildlife conservation
ISSN: 0028-0836
Year: 1997
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