"fertility tourism" and other recent news in the world of genetics...

irregularly updated (sometime more frequently than others) at: http://
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Global Coalition Sounds Alarm on Synthetic Biology

In the last few years, synthetic biologists, by re-writing the
genetic code of DNA, have demonstrated the ability to build new
viruses and are now developing artificial life forms. In October last
year, synthetic biologists at the US Center for Disease Control re-
created the 1918 Spanish flu virus that killed between 50-100 million
people (2) and last month scientists at the University of Wisconsin-
Madison created a new version of E. coli bacteria (3). Meanwhile,
genomics mogul Craig Venter, whose former company, Celera, led the
commercial race to sequence the human genome, now heads a new
company, Synthetic Genomics (4), that aims to commercialize
artificial microbes for use in energy, agriculture and climate change
remediation. It is one of around 40 synthetic biology companies
undertaking gene synthesis and/or building artificial DNA.
"Biotech has already ignited worldwide protests, but synthetic
biology is like genetic engineering on steroids," says Dr. Doreen
Stabinsky of Greenpeace International. "Tinkering with living
organisms that could be released in the environment poses a grave
biosafety threat to people and the planet," adds Stabinsky.
In October 2004, an editorial in the journal Nature warned, "If
biologists are indeed on the threshold of synthesizing new life
forms, the scope for abuse or inadvertent disaster could be huge."
The editorial suggested that there may be a need for an "Asilomar-
type" conference on synthetic biology - a reference to an historic
meeting in 1975 where scientists met to discuss biosafety risks
associated with genetic engineering and opted for self-governance
which ultimately pre-empted and avoided government regulation.
Following the Asilomar model the "Synthetic Biology Community"
intends to use their second conference (Synthetic Biology 2.0, 20-22
May 2006) to adopt a code of self-governance for handling the
biosafety risks.
http://www.etcgroup.org/article.asp?newsidV2


Open Biometrics

Open Biometrics is a project by Marc Bohlen that began in 2002, but
I'm just now finding out about it… from the website: "The Open
Biometrics Initiative challenges hard and fast classification of
biometric data. Numerous government and private agencies are working
towards large-scale biometric identification systems. Visitors to the
United States are now routinely finger-scanned at border crossings.
In the near future, no official government document will be issued
without a fingerprint or an eye-scan. But are you really who they
think you are? The Open Biometrics Initiative cracks open the clean
fabrication of automated biometric identification at its root. The
machine calculates and prints characteristic points together with
their coordinates, type code (ridge ending or bifurcation) and color-
coded likelihood as a probabilistic IDcard for your reference."
http://www.realtechsupport.org/repository/biometrics.html


Gene bank crisis

A couple of recent articles in the New Scientist discuss the crisis
of gene banks for specific crops, like bananas and corn. While corn
has long been in the spotlight in genetic discussions, the threat to
the global banana supply has been much more under the radar.
According to this article, the common banana is of the Cavendish
variety, originating in India. Due to a pandemic of a banana killing
fungus, the destruction of the Indian habitat of wild varieties and
the fact that these bananas have to be bred from cuttings since their
seedless, bananas are under threat.
http://www.newscientist.com/channel/earth/mg19025513.700-a-future-
with-no-bananas.html


Fertility Tourism

A recent opinion article in the Guardian discusses fertility
treatments, and their "advancement" that is promising the ability to
buy characteristics, ala GATTACA sci-fi narratives. Most interesting
is the term "fertility tourism" which I've never heard before. The
author credits "the media" for inventing the term, which is a kind of
parallel to the more common phrase "designer babies." But, and
perhaps more accurately, as the author suggests, "genetic
imperialism" is a more needed addition to our vocabulary - as
"western women turn to Spanish, Italian and Cypriot fertility
clinics, the source of the donor eggs they are using is increasingly
likely to be poor white Eastern Europeans."
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/madeleine_bunting/2006/05/
post_90.html


Genetically engineered seed liability bill vetoed in Vermont

Gov. James Douglas on Monday vetoed a bill that would have made seed
manufacturers liable for damages caused by genetically engineered
seeds that drift into the fields of farms that do not want to use them.
http://www.checkbiotech.org/root/index.cfm?
fuseaction=news&doc_id786&start=1&control1&page_start=1&page_nr
1&pg=1


CAE Launches Marching Plague, May 21

Critical Art Ensemble present their latest book, Marching Plague:
Germ Warfare and Global Public Health published by Autonomedia and
coinciding with the inclusion of their film "Marching Plague" in the
2006 Whitney Biennial. This event is open to the public free of
charge and will take place at Eyebeam, 540 W. 21st Street between
10th & 11th Aves.
The evening will include brief presentations by artists Gregg
Bordowitz and Paul Chan and CAE Defense Fund representative Lucia
Sommer.
Films from Peggy Ahwesh, Lynn Hershman and the Yes Men, along with
the Critcal Art Ensemble's film "Marching Plague", produced/
commissioned by Arts Catalyst, will be screened on monitors
throughout the evening.


ETC Group: WCC Demands Action to Stop Terminator Seeds
The General Secretary of the World Council of Churches today issued
a strong condemnation of Terminator seeds and called on churches
and ecumenical partners to take action to stop the technology. The
Rev. Dr. Samuel Kobia warned that sterile seed technology would
increase economic injustice all over the world.
World Council Of Churches Take Action to Stop Terminator Seeds
Demands WCC General Secretary</p><p class="mobile-post">The general
secretary of the World Council of Churches, Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia,
called upon churches and ecumenical partners to take action to stop
"terminator technology". "Applying technology to design sterile
seeds turns life, which is a gift from God, into a commodity.
Preventing farmers from re-planting saved seed will increase
economic injustice all over the world and add to the burdens of
those already living in hardship," stated Kobia.
ttp://www.oikoumene.org/en/news/news-management/all-news-english/
display-single-english-news/article/1634/take-action-to-stop-termi.html