Lab-brain: Fuzzy definitions and ethical concerns
Some scientists think it is futile to even try to identify consciousness in any sort of lab-maintained brain. “It’s just impossible to say meaningful things about what these bunches of brain cells could think or perceive, given we don’t understand consciousness,” says Steven Laureys, a neurologist at the University of...
Can consciousness be created in a laboratory?
Almost all scientists and ethicists agree that so far, nobody has created consciousness in the lab. But they are asking themselves what to watch out for and which theories of consciousness might be most relevant. According to an idea called integrated information theory, for example, consciousness is a product of...
Scientists grapple with ‘if lab-grown brains can be conscious’
In Alysson Muotri’s laboratory, hundreds of miniature human brains, the size of sesame seeds, float in Petri dishes, sparking with electrical activity. These tiny structures, known as brain organoids, are grown from human stem cells and have become a familiar fixture in many labs that study the properties of the...
Air pollution tied to 15 per cent of Covid-19 deaths
Long-term exposure to air pollution may be linked to 15 per cent of Covid-19 deaths globally, according to a new study. Published in the journal Cardiovascular Research on Tuesday, the research from German and Cypriot experts analysed health and disease data from the United States and China relating to air...
When self-styled global police turn guns on self
City and state officials in the United States should review their laws, policies and practices ahead of the next week’s general elections to ensure that they protect the right to freedom of peaceful assembly. Five international human rights organisations say in letters to over 3,500 mayors and city council members...
If Trump wins, LGBT asylum seekers have no room in US
When Pricila, a 32-year-old trans woman, fled El Salvador in February 2019, she had good reason to fear for her life. Police had beaten and sexually assaulted her, telling her they would make her a man. Gang members attempted to forcibly recruit her. They extorted her, burned her, beat her,...
Malawi First Lady partners with Merck Foundation to build healthcare capacity
Merck Foundation has appointed Malawi First Lady Monica Chakwera ambassador of Merck More Than a Mother campaign to empower infertile women. The Merck Foundation and Mrs Chakwera, who doubles as the minister for health will provide speciality training to Malawian doctors in various fields such as oncology, diabetes, fertility, embryology,...
Justice: Victims in Darfur have waited far too long
The victims in Darfur have waited far too long to have justice. Through this historic visit, we hope to mark a new era of cooperation between my office and Sudan towards greater accountability for atrocity crimes. The ICC was established as an independent and impartial international court to deal with...
Fifth Africa fintech summit to be held virtually
The fifth Africa Fintech Summit will be hosted virtually this year through the Accelevents platform from November 9t-12th, 2020. The Summit takes place at the backdrop of the global COVID-19 pandemic that has brought unprecedented need for digital trade & finance and positioned fintech as key to economic recovery. This...
Julian Assange: Governments selectively enforcing laws to punish those who provoke their ire
As the extradition hearing for Wikileaks Editor-in-Chief Julian Assange unfolds, it is increasingly clear that the prosecution of Assange fits into a pattern of governments selectively enforcing laws to punish those who provoke their ire, reports freedom of information defenders Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF). EFF now wants computer crime laws...
