Category: Famous People in Science

Dr Jeffrey Steinberg: Good or Bad? God of Designer Babies? Should we be scared of Dr. Jeffrey Steinberg and his designer babies? Or is it, to use his words, the “wave of the future” and that we would be better off if we just embrace it?

From ABC News: “Dr. Jeffrey Steinberg has already helped thousands of couples choose their child’s gender at his fertility institutes in Manhattan and Los Angeles. Within six months, he says, the clinic will offer a new service: allowing couples to select the physical traits of their babies. Steinberg says he cannot promise that people will get their selections, but claims he can dramatically increase the probability.”

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Hey look, scientists have found a way for people to grow some new teeth? Seriously? As in, is that for real? Well, it may take some time before it happens but if the scientists succeed, we would all be saying goodbye to them dentures?

At this point, the scientists have identified the gene – a “transcription factor” called Ctip2 – which makes you, me and our cousin Joe produce tooth enamel. Further studies in the future will tell us whether we can actually regrow the teeth we’ve lost to the tooth fairy.

From Daily Mail:
Experiments in mice have previously shown that the gene, a ‘transcription factor’ called Ctip2, is involved in the immune system and in the development of skin and nerves. The latest research, from Oregon State University in the U.S., adds enamel production to the list.
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Researcher Dr Chrissa Kioussi said: “It’s not unusual for a gene to have multiple functions, but before this we didn’t know what regulated the production of tooth enamel. This is the first transcription factor ever found to control the formation and maturation of ameloblasts, which are the cells that secrete enamel.

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