According to the Times Online:

Stem-cell researchers have applied to produce an embryo using an animal’s egg and a human cell

British scientists are to submit plans to create a hybrid embryo — part human, part cow.

They are to develop a way of creating stem cells that does not require human eggs, but the application seems likely to be met with controversy.

Controversial… you think?

Popularity: 12% [?]

A recent study suggests that being a father can change your brain. No, I know what you are thinking, it is not just that it makes you crazy.

Does being a dad change a man’s brain? The answer isn’t clear in humans, but a study with tiny monkeys called marmosets suggests fatherhood may alter gray matter.

Researchers say the structure of the brain is different in marmoset dads vs. non-dads. They also found that the brains of fathers were more receptive to a hormone linked to learning.

Popularity: 3% [?]

This idea would sound like Science Fiction even if I had not read it on the SciFi network blog:

Used fryer oil. Poultry offal. Ocean waves. To the lengthening list of alternative-energy ideas, please add kites. Sequoia Automation wants to transform kites from kids’ toys to power generators.
The KiteGen power plant would work by letting loose a bunch of kites tethered to a central rotor. By flying over a mile high, the kites would tap into powerful high-altitude gusts that windmills can only dream about. The force of the winds sets the rotor in motion, generating power.

Radar and winches would make sure the kites don’t get in the way of aircraft, birds or each other. On paper, a KiteGen plant could produce more power than a nuclear station at a fraction of the cost. The company plans to build a plant in the next two years.

Popularity: 3% [?]

Will it be possible in the future that you will get an obesity vaccine in the same way that you get vaccinated for small pox of mumps? Maybe although for now it would help if you were a lab rat according to this story:

US researchers have developed a vaccine which prevents weight gain in rats, offering clues about human treatments.
The vaccine prompts the body to produce antibodies against ghrelin, a hormone that stimulates hunger and weight gain.

Vaccinated rats put on less weight while eating the same amount as those which did not have the jab.

A UK obesity expert said the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences study was interesting, but it might not be safe for people.

Popularity: 3% [?]

If this article in LifeScience.com is correct and word gets out then a lot of women are going to get Starbucks gift certificates for Valentine’s day this year.

Caffeine motivates female rats to have more frequent sex, a new study suggests. But don’t start guzzling more coffee just yet.

Scientists gave 108 female rats a moderate dose of caffeine. The caffeine shortened the amount of time it took the females to return to males after a first romp, indicating they were more motivated to do it again.

Loading up on more caffeine is not expected to improve human sex drive in most cases, however.

“These rats had never had caffeine before,” said study leader Fay Guarraci, an assistant professor of psychology at Southwestern University. “In humans, it might enhance the sexual experience only among people who are not habitual users.”

Popularity: 2% [?]