Editing genes

Scientists in London apply for license to edit genes in human embryos.

The researcher Kathy Niakan said that her team wanted to use a recently developed technique with human embryos. Nowadays, that´s illegal in the UK even if editing the genomes could eradicate some genetic diseases. Research work is possible with a license of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), so why not use the new developments to treat the genetic diseases in human beings?
 “It will be considered in due course,” the HFEA said. But there is a moral problem whith this issue. On one hand, we could bring the edition of a human embryo into question, because it means changin the natural process of those embryos. In the other hand, we could eradicate diseases, we could improve the cuality of life of a lot of babies and a chinese team of scientist has tried it. That team, led by Junjiu Huang, modified the gene that causes a blood disease  (the blood disorder β-thalassaemia) in non-viable embryos and it caused huge controversy. Even if in China genes of human embryos have been edited, we will have to wait for the decission of the HFEA to see the succes that this new technique could have in the British people´s lives.

Migrant crisis

Nowadays there is a migrant crisis in all Europe, the syrian refugees are running away from their cauntry because of the war. The war started in 2011 when the uprising that the syrian government turned violent. The war has gone to bad in Syria and the inhabitants are coming in droves to Europe. Every day, a lot of boats arrive to Lesbos (Greece) and there are also a lot of boats that sink in the Aegean Sea. All the migrants want to arrive to syria but it´s not an easy way. 

Last week, the dead body of a young boy appeared on a Turkish beach and twelve migrants, thought to be syrian refugees, were drowned and appeared in the coast of the Greek island of Kos. The 3-year-old boy was Aylan Kurdi, a child from the northhern Syria who tried to came to Europe with his 5-year-old brother (who unfortunately died in the same boat). About 11 million people (half of Syria´s population) have either died or left their homes since the war began. The Euopen Union policymakers and leaders have convened an emergency summit today to find a solution to this problem but it´s too late to all migrants who have died up to now.

Scientific culture

I expect to improve my english and enjoy myself. I want to learn new things not only in english, but in sciences too.