Will Japanese researchers grow human organs inside pigs? and other news and views for Wednesday 22 January

Something to think about.
22-01-2014 pig
  • Will Japanese Researchers Grow Human Organs Inside Pigs? – A controversial technique to develop body parts from stem cells may someday save countless lives, but will society allow it? “If  all goes according to plan, professor Hiroshi Nagashima’s genetically-engineered pigs will grow up with functional organs. A few of those body parts, though, will have the genetic makeup of a human. In essence, they’ll be mostly swine, partly human.”
From this morning’s Australian papers.
  • Indonesian outrage ‘unlikely to escalate’ – “Defence experts are playing down tensions over Australia’s accidental breaches of Indonesian waters and say Jakarta’s vow to boost its southern sea patrols could even work in Australia’s favour.” – Fairfax papers
  • Caution urged in alcohol-violence counter measures – “Governments are fond of tough-sounding announcements of more criminal penalties. They must believe that such measures are effective, but they are not. There is plenty of evidence that increases in penalties for offences do not produce corresponding deterrent effects (that is, less offending) and that mandatory minimum sentences do not deter offenders, but do complicate and add to the expense of criminal proceedings and require courts to act unjustly. The government proposes both of these courses for nine offences of violence (including sexual assault and assaulting police) ‘where drug [sic] and alcohol are involved’… But where drugs and alcohol are involved in such assault offences, the last thing likely to be on an offender’s mind is the penalty to which he will be liable if he is apprehended, prosecuted and convicted.” Nicholas Cowdery in the Sydney Morning Herald
Some links to other things I’ve found interesting today

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