Driverless vehicles continue to raise difficult legal and moral questions around safety. What are the regulatory implications for this fast-paced industry?

Autonomous vehicles (AV) that require no input from human occupants are currently being tested on public roads. Experimental prototypes, still closely supervised by people, are already mixing with ordinary traffic in parts of the US, Canada, UK, Sweden, Germany and Japan.

Technology giant Google alone has clocked up more than 2.2 million miles of autonomous testing[1] since it began developing its technology in 2009. It has now launched a new company, Waymo, to commercialise the technology. Other participants - including manufacturers like Volvo, parts suppliers such as Bosch and service providers like Uber - are pursuing their own ambitious development projects.

The arrival of autonomous vehicles as either purchasable products or hireable services now seems inevitable. However, in addition to the obvious technological challenges, driverless vehicles also raise a host of legal and moral questions. Our roads, our laws and our expectations have all been shaped by more than a century of vehicles controlled by human beings, with all their foibles and failings. Adding robotic cars, buses and trucks to the mix is not going to be trivial.

"There are certain areas of the law that are well equipped to deal with new technology, such as the patent system," notes Daniel Cole, an intellectual property partner at Gowling WLG. "But the archaic language of traffic laws that talk about a vehicle being under a person's control - that's all going to have to be completely revamped. And if you've ever watched anything move through a legislature, you'll know that's not happening in a month. That's years and years of work."

Setting the legal framework

Legal questions run from relatively minor issues, such as who pays for speeding fines, to deep moral questions about putting one life ahead of another in an accident.

One potentially tricky area is how to deal with rules that sometimes need to be broken. "Imagine an AV sitting at a red traffic light while an ambulance is trying to get through, refusing to move because it's been told it can't run through a red light. Meanwhile a patient is dying," says Cole. "There has to be a way to say it's OK to have that technical violation in these circumstances. But that's tricky because there are endless possibilities."

Liability when things go wrong is another area that is expected to create challenges. "There's going to be a shift in liability from the driver to the manufacturer or the people who market these products," observes Andr Rivest, Gowling WLG partner and head of its automotive group in Canada. Especially in the early days of adoption, when AVs and human drivers interact, it may be difficult to establish exactly who is liable for what, he cautions.

Putting members of the public in driverless vehicles will also require crossing a Rubicon that manufacturers - and their lawyers and insurers - may find unnerving. "If you look at today's features, like lane departure warning, they all come with disclaimers warning that they don't replace the driver's responsibility," notes Cole. "At some point we're going to flip that on its head and say that manufacturers are in control of the car. That's a huge mind-shift."

Rivest agrees. "The transition from lower level autonomy to full autonomy is where it's really delicate, and that's what we are beginning to address," he notes. "How should an AV react if a small child runs out after a ball and the car can't stop in time, but if it veers to the side it will run down an elderly couple? Who will make these decisions?"

Redefining risk

People are fallible and human error accounts for an estimated 94% of crashes, according to figures published in the US. To limit the danger, we expect drivers to exercise good judgement and behave as responsibly as possible. Highway patrols, traffic cameras, fines and the threat of imprisonment back up that requirement, but we also acknowledge that human skill is variable. We simply live with the risk that some drivers will make fatal mistakes behind the wheel.

Yet we tend to be less willing to accept risks, even of a much lesser scale, when they are posed by machines. We expect dangers in equipment to be spotted and removed, preferably before anyone is hurt.

Similarly, the knowledge that computerised systems can react more quickly than human drivers in an emergency has led to hopes that AVs might dramatically reduce the overall frequency of accidents. But this potential has also fuelled speculation that driverless vehicles will need to include a "moral algorithm" to determine how they should react when human life is at stake. After all, an AV may need to decide whether to protect occupants at the expense of bystanders, for example.

"When cars crash today, people act instinctively - they don't make conscious decisions," points out Stuart Young, head of automotive at Gowling WLG in the UK. "But when you program a car, you are sitting at a computer writing the code, and you have every opportunity to make a calculated decision about what the car should do in given circumstances. I think there will be a moral judgement on someone who's been able to contemplate and come to a conclusion."

'Intelligent' software systems

However, the situation may not be so clear cut. It is likely that autonomous vehicles will rely on complex software techniques, such as neural networks or genetic algorithms, which can acquire expertise without human reasoning. For example, a software system might "learn" the capability to recognise a cyclist by being provided with many thousands of example images, rather than any formal definition composed by a programmer. Internally, the software will build up a complex mathematical model allowing it to successfully recognise new images of cyclists. However, there will be no step-by-step reasoning in the software that can be unravelled and understood.

Similar machine learning techniques are likely to be employed extensively within AV development, ultimately dictating how the vehicle will react to unfolding circumstances. A software model will be built up over millions of miles of testing, helping the AV to interpret any consciously coded set of rules.

What results is a mire of moral questions that include not just which decisions ought to be made but how they might be reached. Some types of programming might be subject to debate.

"Regulation needs to get on top of this," says Young. "It needs to get ahead of it. Because at the moment there's nothing giving a clear steer as to who's going to take responsibility for what, or whether all decisions are going to be left to manufacturers."

That path, as Cole notes, means waiting for things to go wrong to establish legal precedents that might provide a measure of clarity.

International regulation models

Gowling WLG is calling for an alternative approach that recognises the need for affirmative action by governments around the world. Pre-emptive regulation of autonomous vehicles need not hold back their development, argues Young. Instead, clarity over expectations and responsibilities would likely resolve some hard-to-quantify business risks that might otherwise stand as stumbling blocks.

"What we've been looking at is asking government to set up an independent agency to regulate the technology," says Young. "In the UK, we have the HFEA (Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority), which may seem like an odd analogy, but it has been successful. There's a lot of ethics involved in embryology and development, but it was set up as an independent government agency with the right representation. It's broadly seen as having done a very good job of allowing development whilst tracking and reflecting ethical concerns in society. And that's what we need for the moral aspects of the algorithms that are going to be developed."

It is also vital to recognise that the vehicle industry is a global one, where international agreements make more sense than local regulations. Given that vehicles can drive across national borders, useful models for regulation may also be found in the air transport industry, where international pacts govern corporate behaviour and limit liability for carriers.

Vehicles are already more heavily regulated than other consumer products, with type approval to ensure compliance with national and international regulations, and compulsory safety recalls to correct serious errors, so any move to regulate the programming of AVs would not be without precedent.

Today, most countries with a significant automotive manufacturing base have started to grapple with the issues raised by AVs, with varying levels of ambition. In the UK, for example, the Department for Transport recently carried out a consultation[2] to examine what changes might be needed to insurance, type approval regulations and the national Highway Code.

"The most comprehensive exercise I've seen is in the US," says Young. "The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has done a pretty thorough job with the Federal Automated Vehicles Policy[3], issued in September. It's a root and branch review of what needs to be done to create the right legal framework in the US (including a model state-by-state code), what should be retained at a federal level, and what needs to be set down in terms of vehicle safety. Of course, there have been critics of the policy, particularly around the data sharing aspects, and with the new Trump administration there is some doubt over whether it will get any further Federal support."

As technology advances, society is likely to recognise that AVs - even those without a verifiable moral algorithm - can save lives simply by reacting more swiftly, more decisively and more accurately to sudden unforeseen danger. The question that then arises is: how much safer than human drivers do AVs need to become before we are morally obliged to adopt them?

View original post here:
Navigating the moral maze of driverless vehicles: Safety, risks and regulation - Lexology (registration)

Comments(0)

A fertility clinic in Cheshunt is under investigation after it found itself at the centre of a sting by a national tabloid newspaper.

The Daily Mail alleged that the Herts and Essex Fertility Centre was one of three to offer financial incentives to poor women to donate their eggs - a practice which can be illegal.

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), which regulates clinics, has contacted the facility and will be conducting an investigation.

Undercover reporters from the paper posed as couples seeking IVF treatment at the Cheshunt clinic, which lies a stone's throw from the Broxbourne Borough Council offices in Churchgate.

They claim they were offered cheap, or free, treatment in exchange for the donation of half the eggs the female partner would produce. Those eggs would then be used to provide IVF for other couples.

READ MORE: Brave Cheshunt boy comes through life-changing 75k operation

Clinics are restricted by law from offering financial incentives for donations, and one doctor at a clinic in Darlington told the reporter she should refrain from putting money on the consent form.

The chairwoman of the HFEA Sally Cheshire said: "We are very concerned by the allegations made in this investigation. At the HFEA our priority is the best possible treatment and care for patients and donors.

"If any patients at these clinics have worries about their care, they should contact us while we investigate further. We have already contacted the clinics involved and our inspectors will investigate each allegation. If we find poor practice in a clinic, we will take regulatory action."

READ MORE: Watch Stavros Flatley lose seven inches from his waist with new treatment

Despite the HFEA confirming to the Mercury it has contacted the Herts and Essex Fertility Centre, the clinic's marketing manager Sally Day denied this is the case.

Consultant gynaecologist David Ogutu said the facility complies with all regulations and the scheme it offers is legal.

He added: "It is important to stress that egg share cycles involve treatment of only one recipient and one egg donor. Half the eggs received from an egg share donor are used to treat only one other patient, the recipient.

"The payment received from the recipient covers the donor's costs. At Herts & Essex Fertility Centre we are immensely proud to help hundreds of couples to have babies, who cannot afford fertility treatment and who through no fault of theirs, are not eligible for NHS funded treatment.

"Only through egg sharing can some couples hope to have a loving family and we have nothing to be ashamed of."

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said he would be watching the HFEA investigation very closely. He added: "I will be paying close attention to the findings and in the meantime urge anyone with concerns to contact the HFEA without delay.

"The Mail's findings are both serious and worrying and they are right to have brought them to public attention."

According to the Daily Mail report, a poster in the waiting room at the Herts and Essex clinic advertises the scheme to prospective parents who cannot get NHS funding.

IVF can cost couples tens of thousands of pounds so the scheme is likely to be a significant draw for the less well-off.

A nurse in Cheshunt allegedly told the reporters egg donation was "just like giving blood" and reassured them that "an egg isn't a baby".

Potential donors at the clinic are reportedly given one hour of counselling about the experience of another couple raising their genetic children.

Mr Ogutu said: "Research has clearly shown that egg sharing women have similar success rates to that of comparable non-egg sharing women undergoing IVF treatment.

"So those women are not compromising their chances of success and on top of that, are getting their treatment free.

"As far as the mandatory independent free counselling is concerned, we do not dictate how many sessions egg sharing couples have.

"It is purely between the counsellors and the couples to decide if they require more sessions as we have no limit as to the number of sessions."

Link:
Cheshunt fertility clinic under investigation for 'paying poor women ... - Hertfordshire Mercury

A new study is suggesting unborn babies in the first trimester may experience pain.

The scientific journal Cell, in a study etitled Tridimensional Visualization and Analysis of Early Human Development, published in March, sheds light on the advanced neurological development of the unborn.

Although the study comes to no definitive conclusion, embryologists now have a clearer picture of the extent of nerve development at early stages of gestation a greater level of development than previously thought. (Emphasis added, the Dispatch)

Human Fetus at 8 weeks photo Henry Gray

The study saysthat adult-like pattern of skin innervation is established before the end of the first trimester, showing important intra- and inter-individual variations in nerve branches.

Later they added that Sensory nerves and their branches in the hands of 14 embryos and fetuses were reconstructed in 3D using Prph detailing the process of examining the nerves in each hand.

The medical field has had much to say on the science of fetal pain, including as the unborn child moves in response to external stimuli such as touch as early as eight weeks.

The fetus starts to make movements in response to being touched from eight weeks, and more complex movements build up as detected by real time ultrasound over the next few weeks, said Vivette Glover of the Imperial College London in 2004.

After noting the incredible advancements in 3D and 4D imaging, the study the main limitations of our method are the availability of human embryos, the number of antibody combinations (a maximum of four at this time), the compatibility of the antibodies with our protocol (Table S1) and the storage of large size light-sheet image datasets. Nevertheless, the spectrum of future investigations and applications of this method in the field of embryology and fetology are countless.

Our work shows that it should be possiblein the near future to build a reference 3D atlas of the developing human. As a first step in this direction, all our 3D datasets aremade available on a dedicated website (https://transparent-human-embryo.com/) that will also serve as a repository for additional embryology 3D data generated from our laboratory and others. This reference 3D atlas of the developing human and specific organs and systems not only represents a powerful educational online tool for researchers, educators, and students worldwide, but will allow 3D printing of anatomical models for didactic purposes in health sciences education programs.

READ MORE HERE

photo Ivon19 via wikimedia commons

Read the original post:
New study: unborn baby experience pain during first trimester - The Global Dispatch

New research has unraveled the mystery of how mitochondriathe energy generators within cellscan withstand attacks on their DNA from rogue molecules.

The findings could pave the way for new treatments to tackle neurodegenerative diseases and cancer. The research could also have important implications for clinical advances in 'mitochondrial donation' -- known as the 'three-parent baby' -- used to correct defects in faulty mitochondria. The five-year study led by scientists at the University of Sheffield, published today (28 April 2017) in Science Advances, reveals how the enzyme TDP1 - which is already known to have a role in repairing damaged DNA in the cell's nucleus - is also responsible for repairing damage to mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA).

Mitochondria are the powerhouses of cells, they generate the energy required for all cellular activity and have their own DNA -- the genetic material which they rely upon to produce important proteins for their function.

During the process of energy production and making proteins, a large amount of rogue reactive oxygen species are produced which constantly attack the DNA in the mitochondria. These attacks break their DNA, however the new findings show mitochondria have their very own repair toolkits which are constantly active to maintain their own DNA integrity.

Lead author of the study, Professor Sherif El-Khamisy, a Wellcome Trust Investigator and Chair of Molecular Medicine at the University of Sheffield, said: "Each mitochondria repair toolkit has unique components -- enzymes -- which can cut, hammer and seal the breaks. The presence of these enzymes is important for energy production.

"Defects in repairing DNA breaks in the mitochondria affect vital organs that rely heavily on energy such as the brain. It also has implications on mitochondria replacement therapies recently approved in the UK and known as 'three parent babies'."

Although much research has focused on how free radicals damage the DNA in the cell's nucleus, their effect on mitochondrial DNA is less well understood despite this damage to mtDNA being responsible for many different types of disease such as neurological disorders.

Having healthy mitochondria is also essential for tissue regeneration, making it particularly important for successful organ transplants. The team further identified a mechanism through which mtDNA can be damaged and then fixed, via a protein called TOP1, which is responsible for untangling coils of mtDNA. When the long strands become tangled, TOP1 breaks and quickly repairs the strands to unravel the knots. If free radicals are also attacking the mitochondrial DNA, then TOP1 proteins can become trapped on the mitochondrial DNA strands, making repair even more difficult. Professor El-Khamisy believes the findings could pave the way for the development of new therapies for mitochondrial disease that boost their DNA repair capacity, or for cancer treatments which could use TDP1 inhibitors to prevent mtDNA repair selectively in cancer cells.

"Cancer relies on cells dividing very quickly. That means they need a lot of energy, so will have really healthy mitochondria," said Professor El-Khamisy.

"If we can find a way to selectively damage the mitochondria in the cancer cells, by preventing or slowing its repair mechanism, this could be really promising."

The findings could also be important for new clinical advances such as the decision by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) to allow 'mitochondrial donation' -- also known as 'three-parent babies' -- where mtDNA from a female donor is introduced to an embryo to correct mitochondrial defects.

"This research suggests that clinicians should assess the function of TDP1 and mitochondrial TOP1 before mitochondrial donation takes place, to ensure the success of this procedure," added Professor El-Khamisy.

"Even if the new embryo has healthy mitochondrial DNA from the donor, it could still have defective TDP1 or mitochondrial TOP1 from the recipient, since they are both produced by the DNA in the cell's nucleus, so mitochondrial DNA damage could still take place over time, and cause disease." Professor Allan Pacey, a fertility expert at the University of Sheffield's Department of Oncology and Metabolism, said "Given that the first UK license to perform mitochondrial donation procedures was awarded by the HFEA last month, the publication of this study is very timely.

"It is important that we know as much as possible about how to identify healthy and defective mitochondria, in order to help those people with debilitating mitochondrial disease."

Read more from the original source:
Unraveling the Mystery of DNA Attacks in Mitochondria Could Pave Way for New Cancer Treatments - Bioscience Technology

Madison Area Technical College is continuing a decades-old effort to churn out workplace-ready professionals to impact the ever-changing field of biotechnology.

Also known as Madison College, MATC offers a certificate in stem cell technologies that was created for working professionals. The 32-week nighttime program was developed in 2011 to help people enter the fields of stem cells and regenerative medicine. Since then, more than 70 people have graduated. But MATC initially launched a biotech training program in 1987.

The school receives major funding from the National Science Foundation for Academic Programs Advanced Technology Education program. Between ATE and other government grants, the school has received about $4.5 million dollars over the last 14 years to develop workforce programs.

Its stem cell program alone has netted $1.6 million, and has a placement rate in the industry of over 90 percent, says Thomas Tubon, project director for the stem cell program at MATC and member of the board of directors for BioForward, a state biotech advocacy group.

The program is split into two semesters; the first focuses on the core lab components of culturing these cells, managing media, and all the fundamentals of stem cells, according to Tubon.

The second semester involves working with industry-based advanced technology like 3D culturing, CRISPR-Cas9 genomic editing, and gene modification.

You name it -- if its on the cutting edge of our emerging industries here in Wisconsin, were trying to move it into the classroom, he said. And were trying to do that with support from our industries, and our academic folks as well.

CRISPR-Cas9 is a relatively new method. It lets scientists accurately cut and paste parts of DNA, giving them the power to determine which genes are expressed in a particular organism, and which are not. They can even introduce unique qualities from other living things.

With the advent of CRISPR/Cas9 for gene editing, this has been fairly easy to do, relatively -- to introduce mutations of interest, said Christine L. Mummery, professor of developmental biology and chair of the department of anatomy and embryology at Leiden University Medical Center in the Netherlands.

This method is already being used to mitigate genetic disorders in animals, and two clinical trials using CRISPR-Cas9 for targeted cancer therapies have been approved in China and the United States, according to a 2016 article in Nature.

Mummery spoke April 19 at the 12th annual Wisconsin Stem Cell Symposium in Madison on the subject of induced pluripotent stem cells. These iPSC are derived from adult cells found in skin, blood or other parts of the body, which are reprogrammed to return to an embryonic-like state. This means they can be developed into any type of human cell, which can then be used for testing.

The sort of low-hanging fruit, and the most exciting area in my opinion, is to do disease modeling, Mummery said. We can look at the underlying mechanisms of disease in humans that weve not been able to do previously as well with mice.

Mummery pointed to drug rehabilitation as another exciting avenue to pursue.

So basically, you find a drug which actually works really well that has nasty side effects, and what a chemist can do is cut off the bits of the molecule and check whether the side effects disappear or not, she said.

The iPSC models can be used to test the effectiveness of these modified drugs, but also for toxicity testing and regenerative medicine, to treat things like Parkinsons, kidney disease and diabetes.

Parkinsons disease looks to be very promising, she added.

MATC was one of the first programs in the United States doing workforce training in biotech, according to Tubon. Its initial biotech program launched in 1987, and the college has been pushing to stay on the frontline of innovation ever since.

As one of the lead programs, weve maintained that status moving forward with developing workforce programs for biotech, for bioinformatics, for stem cells -- for whatever we can project into the future, Tubon said. My assumption is its probably going to be something in the space of tissue engineering. I think thats a pretty safe bet, and well see how far we can push that envelope.

The next MATC effort funded by the NSF will be to get what weve done here, distribute it, and start it at as many colleges as we can across the United States, Tubon says.

About 137 targeted colleges are part of the schools immediate network, and Tubon estimates up to 350 colleges nationwide have the capacity to start their own stem cell workforce development program.

Were reaching out to our first level of partners to get this going, and Im doing that this summer and next summer to help them generate capacity, and then well expand out from there, he said.

--By Alex Moe WisBusiness.com

See more here:
MATC continuing effort to prepare professionals for biotech industry - Wisbusiness.com

Dr Hrishikesh D Pai is a seasoned Gynaecologist with almost 3 decades of experience in IVF and infertility management. He is the Medical Director of the Bloom IVF Group which runs nine IVF centres all over India including Lilavati Hospital and Bhatia Hospital, Mumbai and Fortis Hospitals in New Delhi, Gurgaon, Faridabad, Noida, Mohali, and Navi Mumbai. Dr Pai currently holds the position of Secretary General of the Federation of Obstetrics and Gynaecological Societies of India, one of the largest organizations of professional doctors in the country consisting of 33,000 gynaecologists.

Dr Pai began his career after graduating with three distinctions and 2 gold medals in his MD in the year 1989 from the G.S. Medical College in Mumbai. He also has a Master of Science in Clinical Embryology and Andrology from the Eastern Virginia Medical School, USA. He went on to do a clinical fellowship from the Royal Women's Hospital in Melbourne, where the world's second test-tube baby was born. He mastered this technique only to come back and set up the first IVF centre in Mumbai in 1991. Being one of the pioneers in the field of Micromanipulation in India, his unit was the third in India to start the procedure of Micromanipulation- ICSI in 1996 in Mumbai.

Not only has he performed over 10,000 test-tube baby procedures but has also introduced many path-breaking and pioneering techniques in the field of Assisted Reproductive Technology such as assisted laser hatching, spindle view, ovarian tissue freezing for cancer patients, oocyte freezing, IMSI, and embryoscope. His clinic is one of the 10 IVF clinics in India to be recognized to offer Fellowship in super specialty of ART by the National Board, New Delhi.

As part of his teaching and academic pursuits, Dr Pai is an Asst. Adjunct Professor at East Virginia Medical School, USA; Assistant Professor at the D Y Patil Medical College; and post graduate teacher in Gynaecology at the National DNB Examinations, and has trained more than 1000 gynaecologists. He is also the Founder Editor of The Journal of Gynecological Endoscopy& Surgery. He has held many other responsible positions namely President of the Mumbai Obstetrics and Gynaecological Society; and President of the Indian Association of Gynaecological Endoscopists. Previously, Dr Pai was also the Senior Vice President of FOGSI in 2006. He has had many articles and research papers published in national and international books and journals, and has delivered more than 500 guest lectures all over India and abroad.

Dr Pai has been a key contributor to various policy-making bodies of the central and state government. He is member of the Still Birth Committee of the Ministry of Health, GOI, New Delhi 2015. Dr Pai was invited as an expert to suggest changes to the ART Bill 2013 by the ICMR, New Delhi in 2014. He was also a Member of the Committee formed by the Government of Maharashtra, to suggest changes to the ART Bill 2013 and the PCPNDT Act regarding Infertility in 2013 and 2015.

In order to enable poor patients to have access to advanced services, Dr Pai has an IVF unit in the D Y Patil Medical College. In appreciation of his enormous contributions, the international agency Frost & Sullivan bestowed upon him the best IVF group in India award in 2013. Additionally, he was elected to the highest positionin IVF the Immediate Past President of the Indian Society for Assisted Reproduction (ISAR). Dr Pai was also elected as the Member Board of Directors of the World body of Infertility namely International Federation of Fertility Societies (IFFS): a first for an Indian.

Dr Pai has been the Honorary Asst. Consultant for Kurla Municipal Hospital, serving patients for free from 1991 till 2007. Twice, he has been the Community Service Director of Rotary Club. He won the best interns prize for a vaccination programme in the Mumbai slums of Malawni. In another first of its kind in India, Dr Pai as President of the Indian Society for Assisted Reproduction had launched Project Hope. In this, poor patients below poverty line (BPL) can obtain IVF services free of charge in private clinics of ISAR members all over India.

In appreciation of the yeoman scientific, medical, and community service, Dr Pai has been the recipient of numerous awards such as the Rashtriya Ekta Award, Indian Medical Association (Mumbai West) Best Doctor Award, Navshakti Newspaper Award, Jai Hind College Alumni Award, RK Trust Award, Medscape India National Award, Lions International Gold Award, Ferticon Life Time Achievement Award, and Dr Kanal Goel National Indian Medical Association Award amongst others.

View original post here:
Dr Hrishikesh D. Pai - Huffington Post India (blog)

YORK The 11 lively third-graders in Jillian Starks class received an eyes- and hands-on life lesson.

With help from York County Extension 4-H assistant Tanya Crawford and 4-H director Megan Burda, Stark and her students incubated, carefully monitored and hatched eggs in their classroom..

Embryology is a 4-H School Enrichment project taught in almost every elementary school across the state. The program is designed for grades 2-4. The Extension Office provides the incubator, eggs and educational materials.

In classroom discussions Crawford taught Starks students about eggs and the birds from tiny to very large - that lay them. They also found homes for the newly-hatched chicks.

Once Stark took up the Extension offer and signed on, Crawford came to class to introduce the project and then visited again with Burda to candle the eggs.

Students of all ages, Crawford said, enjoy taking care of eggs and anticipating the arrival of baby chicks.

We learn about the similarities and differences between chickens, as well as study the development of life. The program usually starts in March or April. I would love to bring embryology to your classroom, Crawford wrote in an earlier invitation to local teachers.

Embryology ran for 21 days during which time Stark and her students carefully checked temperatures in the hatching container and filled water to last over the weekends.

In the past, I have done up to three visits in the classroom (one per week), Crawford said, to deliver the following curriculum:

Lesson 1 introduce embryology and deliver eggs

Lesson 2 talk about egg development and candle the eggs

Lesson 3 talk about brooding and share egg collection

Article continued below advertisement

The eggs for Starks class came from Clare Quandt from Stromsburg and Jill and Ryan Koch from York.

For her part, Stark said, I decided to take on the embryology project because I thought it would be a great way for the students to learn about eggs and their connection to agriculture. The 4-H Extension office brought the supplies, including the incubator and the 24 eggs. After seven days the students candled the eggs to see if they were fertilized. After 14 days the students candled them again to check on their growth, she said.

By day 20 the eggs had begun to hatch.

The Extension Office then provided the necessary supplies to keep the chicks in the classroom for a few days, she explained.

The students have been really engaged throughout the whole process, she added. They were excited to watch the (chicks) hatch from the egg and hold them after the feathers had dried. Not only are they learning about science behind the chick, but they are also learning about the responsibility that comes along with having a pet. The experience has been great overall and I cant wait for next year.

Teachers of grades 2-4 are invited to contact Crawford about bringing the project to their classrooms, too.

Read the original post:
Embryology in action - York News-Times

As part of the Nebraska Extension School Enrichment Program, elementary students in Hall County are learning lessons on where the food on their plates comes from.

Hall County Extension assistant Melinda Vlieger is in her fourth year of conducting an embryology project with local schools. On Thursday, she was at Newell Elementary and Shoemaker Elementary candling eggs with kindergrtners.

Vlieger said the four-week program is designed to teach students the life cycle of a baby chick from the time the mother hen lays her egg to the time the egg hatches, which occurs in around 21 days.

The eggs Vlieger was candling with students on Thursday were laid 10 days prior. Through the candling process, the students could see the living embryo as the chick develops inside the egg.

Throughout the project, Vlieger said, the students are in charge of taking care of the eggs. Depending of the school, every classroom gets an incubator for which she provides 18 fertilized eggs.

"It is their job to take care of the eggs as they grow and incubate into chicks," Vlieger said.

Vlieger said the embryology program has grown during the four years she has conducted it in Hall County schools. This year, its in 10 schools, reaching 45 different classes.

"It has grown every year since I started it, and this is the biggest year so far," Vlieger said.

During the eggs time in the incubator, the temperature is kept at about 100 degrees, and the eggs are turned up until several days before they hatch so the embryos dont stick to the egg shell while developing. The yolk and the egg white in the egg provide the developing chick nourishment and fluid.

When candling, Vlieger brings a bright light from an old slide project and holds the eggs up to the light. The children can see the developing chick move around, reacting to the brightness of the light.

"It is kind of like an X-ray almost for the egg," she said. "We can see the shadow and the blood vessels and air pocket in the egg. We also talk about how some of the eggs might not be growing. That it is just part of nature, and everything doesnt always survive. That helps reinforce the life cycle and helps them understand nature."

When Vlieger held each egg before the bright light, she told the students to determine whether the egg fell into one of three categories: a yolker, an egg that hadnt developed at all; a quitter, an egg that began to develop but stopped; or a winner, an egg that is continuing to develop.

Vlieger spoke to four kindergarten classes on Thursday at Newell. At her first stop, of the 18 eggs examined, 12 fell into the winner category, five were yolkers, and there was one quitter.

Vlieger told the students that, while there were 12 winners, that doesnt necessarily mean there will be 12 baby chicks. Some may stop their development during the remaining 11 days before they hatch.

She told the students that science doesnt really have an answer why those chicks stop their development in the egg.

Vlieger also explained the struggle the baby chicks go through as they begin breaking out of their egg. She said the chicks use a special tooth on their beak, especially designed during their evolution, to break out of their shell, which could take as much as an entire day. Once the chick is out of the egg, that beak tooth falls off.

Vlieger told the students what to expect when the eggs hatch and once the chicks escape the confines of their shells. The chicks, she said, will be wet and exhausted from the rigors of breaking out of their shells. They will rest and dry out and will have enough nourishment and fluids from the egg to survive for three days before taking their first food.

The program is designed from students from kindergarten through sixth grade. At each grade level, she said, the program teaches a different aspect of embryology.

"It is for them to learn about where their food comes from and where the eggs come from," Vlieger said. "These eggs come from a farm, and they look just like the eggs that come from a store."

In March, according to the U.S. Department of Agricultures National Agricultural Statistics Service, all laying hens in Nebraska totaled 8.42 million, which was down from 8.74 million the previous year. However, March egg production per 100 layers was 2,675 eggs, compared to 2,511 eggs in 2016.

Continued here:
Extension program brings life lessons to classrooms - Grand Island Independent

Its clinical director, Professor Mary Wingfield, has brushed aside fears that treatments like IVF won't be allowed there due to its ownership by a religious order.

Instead she argued that the move by the Merrion Fertility Clinic will "benefit our patients".

The clinic - where NMH master Rhona Mahony is a voluntary director - is currently based on Lower Mount Street, and pays rent to the NMH next door.

It provides services like IVF to couples who are having difficulty conceiving - both public and private patients.

Concern has been raised by former NMH master Dr Peter Boylan that IVF treatment may not be permitted at the planned St Vincent's hospital site as it's owned by the Sisters of Charity.

The Catholic Church is against IVF treatment.

Dr Mahony has rejected Dr Boylan's concern, repeatedly insisting the new hospital will have "clinical independence".

Meanwhile, a senior source with knowledge of the project pointed to the provision of assisted conception facilities in the hospitals plans. They said this highlights the "absolute independence" of the hospital to provide services to women, despite arguments made to the contrary in recent days.

Architects' drawings for the new hospital show that fertility services are to be located on the first floor, which accommodates a 'reproductive medicine facility'.

This includes a 'cryo store' and 'embryology lab' and several procedure suites.

It is unclear what space at the hospital, if any, will be set aside specifically for Merrion Fertility Clinic.

The Department of Health appeared unaware the clinic would be moving there when first asked if it would be.

But a statement from Merrion Fertility Clinic confirmed it "will be moving to St Vincent's as part of the National Maternity Hospital Project". It said the "finer details" are under consideration and won't be finalised for some time.

Prof Wingfield said their "close affiliation" with the NMH will continue at the new site.

The Irish Independent asked if there is concern services the clinic currently offers won't be permitted at the St Vincent's site.

Prof Wingfield said the clinic "follows international guidelines for best practice in gynaecological and infertility care. This will not change when the NMH, including its fertility services, moves."

She added: "The enhanced facilities at the new hospital will, in fact, benefit our patients."

She said that the clinic will "continue to advocate for increased Government support for public funding for assisted reproduction services and for the urgent need for national legislation in this area."

The Department of Health said no provision has been made in the new hospital's design for the Merrion Fertility Clinic. Asked if the department was unaware that the clinic planned to move there, a spokesman later said there's an area for assisted conception. But he added: "It is not possible at this early stage to answer detailed questions regarding the operation of the new hospital."

See the rest here:
IVF clinic has hospital space despite ethos clash - Independent.ie - Irish Independent

A New York fertility clinicis holding acontest forfree in vitro fertilization ababy raffle, if you will. Its like the lottery, only insteadof winning a million bucks, 30winnerswillget the chanceata real,live genetically relatedhuman baby.In a dystopian flourish, theirnameswill be announced on Facebook Live for the world to see.

The contestis open to women under the age of 44 who have been referred for IVF and have never been to New Hope Fertility Center.The cost of a single IVF cycle typically costs around $12,000 to $15,000, so thetotal value of the prizeson offer is at least$36,000.

New Hope says the contest isbeing held to mark National Infertility Awareness Week, which began this week. The aim, says a press release, is to spread awareness about this growing epidemic and encourage open discussions about infertility and how it affects people around the country.

Of course, its also a great way to drum up national and even international publicity for the clinic, which wasfounded by Dr. John Zhang, who is no stranger to the spotlight. He made headlines this yearfor using a controversial technique tocreate the worlds first three-parent baby and, before that, for facilitatingthe oldest in-vitro pregnancy.

But he isnt the first to conceive of this baby lottery idea. The UK charity To Hatch held a similar lottery in 2011, only it (incredibly) charged people$25to enter the contest. The schemedrew intense controversy, with critics alleging that it exploited the vulnerability of couples struggling with infertility. As a spokesperson for The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, a clinic regulator,told The Independent,We are strongly of the view that using IVF as prize in a lottery is wrong and entirely inappropriate. It trivializes what is for many people a central part of their lives.

At least in this case, women dont needto buyalottery ticket but the winners will have to pay thecost of participating in the clinics social media stunt.The lottery will be drawnon May 5th at 2p.m. during thelive Facebook event.

See the article here:
New York Fertility Clinic Holds Baby 'Lottery' - Vocativ - Vocativ