1. Elizabeth Carr is head of commercial development at Genomic Prediction, a New Jersey genetic testing startup that says it will assess embryos created in IVF clinics for their future chance of common diseases and then rank them, so parents can pick the one with the best future. It’s a controversial area that has some critics anguishing over the prospect of consumer eugenics. The American College of Medical Genetics said in March that the tests are “not yet appropriate” for use in medicine, calling them unproven. Still, word of the company’s “health scores” for embryos is spreading via media reports and as the company starts to promote the tests to IVF clinics and at meetings. And Carr, who is in charge of sales and marketing, may just be the perfect spokesperson. That is because she is “America’s first test-tube baby,” as the headlines shouted in 1981, when she became the first person born through in vitro fertilization in the US.1 (Source: technologyreview.com)
2. Eurointelligence:
The war in Ukraine will shortly enter its decisive moment as Ukraine is about to start its long-awaited spring offensive….
The public in the US and Germany still supports military and financial aid to Ukraine, but support has been weakening over the last year. History tells us that public support for proxy wars often starts strongly, but can fade quickly. We ourselves have expressed doubt that support would hold through the 2024 US presidential elections. We doubt very much that Biden will sacrifice his presidency over this issue. We also do not believe Germany would step up its efforts if the US retreats. The ability to hide behind the US is the sine-qua-non of Olaf Scholz's dithering position on Ukraine. We see Emmanuel Macron's position as being similar to that of Scholz.
We are looking at a timeline of about one year. (Source: eurointelligence.com)
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to News Items to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.