Last updated February 1, 2018 at 8:59 am
The Check Up is a weekly feature highlighting some of the best, most fascinating, most important, or simply unmissable health, medical, and human stories from around the web.
86 people have already had CRISPR gene editing in China
Um, so this is bonkers … there is evidence of 11 clinical trials involving gene editing in humans using CRISPR in China, with a total of 28 people having their DNA altered since 2015. CRISPR is an incredibly promising technology, and the western world doesn’t have a monopoly on ethics. But there are legitimate concerns about the repercussions of rushing forward with this research. Comparable trials are only just starting in the USA, and they’re only designed to test safety, not cure cancer.
When it comes to your body, handle with care
Do you find yourself taking risks for the ’gram? Putting yourself in harm’s way for a cheeky snap? Showing off for a few extra likes? We’re probably all guilty of it, but for endurance sport competitors, literally going the extra mile for the social media reward can be dangerous. Between the psychology of why we behave this way to the very real consequences to our bodies, this article will make you think twice about why you do what you do.
Making connections
This is one of those ‘why didn’t someone think of this sooner’ stories – researchers have used the sort of maths usually reserved for computer chips and social media networks to map out connections in the human body. And it makes total sense – I know that when my knee hurts, it’s actually because I’m not using my glute muscles enough and overcompensating with my quads. This new network tool could give biomechanics researchers and clinicians a more complete picture, and help them not be myopic about the body part they’re looking at.
Being all eyes means being all ears
Speaking of connections, turns out moving your eyes also moves your eardrums. Look left and your eardrums move left. Then they do a little wiggle to get back to where they came from. Your eardrums move at the same time your eyes do, not after, so we know that the movement comes from the brain before it gets any visual information. This leads to a lot of speculation about why this happens – are our senses more dependent on each other than we think, or is it just a quirk of our anatomy?
What happens when you get electrocuted?
And finally, there’s a difference between electric shock and electrocution. Apparently. I have no interest in finding out for sure.
Related:
Modified CRISPR gene editing technique is much more precise
Need to hear better? Put your best ear forward
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to get all the latest science.
