Scientific American
Editor of Health and Medicine for Scientific American
PROFILE
Dina Fine Maron
Guest
FROM Dina Fine Maron
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Giving birth via uterus transplant: Should that be a viable option for women? For the first time in the U.S., a woman who received a uterus transplant has given birth. Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas announced it on Friday. That’s where the woman got the transplant; she was born without a uterus. We learn about the mother and the uterus donor, risks behind the transplant and birth, and whether it will - or should - be a viable option for women across the U.S.
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
CRISPR cuts out disease-causing genes, raises fears of designer babies A team of scientists recently published a paper detailing how they edited the DNA of human embryos using CRISPR. They did it without causing other potentially harmful mutations. CRISPR has the potential to help families with genetic diseases like breast cancer and Alzheimer's. But it also raises ethical questions.
To the Point
Superbugs are defeating antibiotics Antibiotics have prevented and cured deadly human diseases for 80 years. But the time is coming when we might have to live without them -- if we can. The United Nations says it's finally time to take seriously the warning that overuse in human beings and farm animals is not just counter-productive. It's allowing bacteria to develop resistance, so that common conditions like tuberculosis, gonorrhea and urinary infections might well become fatal again. And pharmaceutical companies are not stepping up with new research that could lead to development of new drugs. After years of warnings, it's a global problem that demands solutions — while there's still time.
Recommended
Good Food
Shaking up the USDA, 'The Beef Cookbook' and 'Tartine All Day' Peggy Lowe explains why Trump’s pick for USDA Secretary is rattling rural America. Dario Cecchini talks future plans for Chianti ramen, and Richard Turner shares cuts from “PRIME: The Beef Cookbook.” Writer Matthew Sedacca looks at the controversy behind liquid smoke. Jonathan Gold tries Chengdu-style dishes, and Elisabeth Prueitt of Tartine fills us in on the latest. Plus, chef Michael Beckman shares a recipe for cactus confit.
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Terrorism in London: Lessons for the US This weekend’s terrorist attack in London left seven people dead and almost 50 injured. London police fatally shot the attackers, and ISIS claimed responsibility.
Bookworm
George Saunders: Lincoln in the Bardo (Part I) Lincoln in the Bardo dramatizes a grieving President Lincoln as he visits the grave of his beloved son Willie, who died at age eleven. In the novel, the buried dead believe they're not dead -- "they're sick and refer to their coffins as "sick boxes."
The Business
Revisiting showrunner Steven Bochco on his memoir Steven Bochco, the writer-producer behind record-breaking Emmy winners Hill Street Blues, LA Law and NYPD Blue, fought battles with everyone from out-of-control actors to network censors in his long career. He isn’t afraid to tell those tales in his memoir, Truth Is a Total Defense. This week we revisit the conversation where he shared some of his favorite stories with us.