Chinese Scientists Edit Genes of Human Embryos, Raising Concerns

Georgia O’Keeffe.  The Chestnut Grey, 1924

By GINA KOLATA The New York Times, APRIL 23, 2015

The experiment with human embryos was dreaded, yet widely anticipated. Scientists somewhere, researchers said, were trying to edit genes with a technique that would permanently alter the DNA of every cell so any changes would be passed on from generation to generation.

The Mysterious Tree of a Newborn’s Life

 

A print of a placenta was created by dipping the organ’s treelike branches in blue acrylic paint. The blood vessels that feed the branches were painted red before the blot was made.CreditMichael McMaster

 

The Push to Understand the Placenta

 

By DENISE GRADY, The New York Times, JULY 14, 2014

SAN FRANCISCO — Minutes after a baby girl was born on a recent morning at UCSF Medical Center here, her placenta — a pulpy blob of an organ that is usually thrown away — was packed up and carried off like treasure through a maze of corridors to the laboratory ofSusan Fisher, a professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive sciences.