Scientific American
Editor of Health and Medicine for Scientific American
PROFILE
Dina Fine Maron
Guest
FROM Dina Fine Maron
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
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Previewing James Comey's blockbuster testimony Former FBI director James Comey testifies Thursday in front of the Senate Intelligence Committee, but his opening statement has been released. In it, he says he felt pressured by Donald Trump to declare loyalty to him and publicly clear him of any wrongdoing in the Russia investigation.
The Treatment
Guy Ritchie: King Arthur EXCLUSIVE PODCAST: Director Guy Ritchie stops by to discuss retelling lore his way in King Arthur.
Design and Architecture
Farewell LA freeways, Peter Shire is back Angelenos don't want more freeways but we seem not to want mass transit either. Metro has killed the 710 freeway extension, and bus and train ridership is down across the region. What's the future of getting around in LA? And, Peter Shire is having a comeback. What attracts a new generation to his playful ceramics and furniture?
The Business
In 'Speechless,' Scott Silveri combines comedy, family & disability Scott Silveri has written and produced sitcoms for more than 20 years. In all that time, he never encountered a TV family that looked anything like the one he grew up in -- with a mom, a dad...and a brother with cerebral palsy. He changed that with his show Speechless on ABC. Silveri tells us about looking to his own past for stories, and why he was determined to make a family comedy and not just a "disability show."