Xi'an's Terra-cotta warriors: What to know before visiting

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3tZwO3uJ0a1vguOWj-LvwOEe6BEl5MUM8nntaisQshLK-Zk_hdYsFNq387fFAxZZ8CcCXEr4OHMUppB0mLDVIzn4egJyz1HqNoRymJZhB-aS2guzqMqr0SbO0pTHgta3zBm58Vk0FzF83/s1600/151118043420-terracotta-warriors8-exlarge-169.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3tZwO3uJ0a1vguOWj-LvwOEe6BEl5MUM8nntaisQshLK-Zk_hdYsFNq387fFAxZZ8CcCXEr4OHMUppB0mLDVIzn4egJyz1HqNoRymJZhB-aS2guzqMqr0SbO0pTHgta3zBm58Vk0FzF83/s1600/151118043420-terracotta-warriors8-exlarge-169.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="el__leafmedia el__leafmedia--sourced-paragraph" style="background-color: #fefefe; box-sizing: border-box; color: #262626; font-family: CNN, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, Utkal, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"><div class="zn-body__paragraph" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 1.125rem; line-height: 1.66667; margin-bottom: 15px;"><cite class="el-editorial-source" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: CNN, 'Helvetica Neue', Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700;">Xi'an, China (CNN)</cite>It's said if you don't visit the Terra-cotta Army while in Xi'an, your visit to the ancient Chinese city doesn't count.</div></div><div class="zn-body__paragraph" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #fefefe; box-sizing: border-box; color: #262626; font-family: CNN, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, Utkal, sans-serif; font-size: 1.125rem; line-height: 1.66667; margin-bottom: 15px;">Constructed more than 2,200 years ago, the army of warrior statues has since guarded the tomb of the emperor Qin Shi Huang, the first ruler to unify China, from 221-207 BC.</div><div class="zn-body__paragraph" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #fefefe; box-sizing: border-box; color: #262626; font-family: CNN, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, Utkal, sans-serif; font-size: 1.125rem; line-height: 1.66667; margin-bottom: 15px;">Thousands of years later, the soldiers are still there, witnessing the rapidly changing world in solemn silence.</div><div class="zn-body__paragraph" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #fefefe; box-sizing: border-box; color: #262626; font-family: CNN, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, Utkal, sans-serif; font-size: 1.125rem; line-height: 1.66667; margin-bottom: 15px;">Discovered by chance in 1974 by local farmers digging a well, the Terra-cotta Army is now described by some as the Eighth Wonder of the World.</div><div class="zn-body__paragraph" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #fefefe; box-sizing: border-box; color: #262626; font-family: CNN, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, Utkal, sans-serif; font-size: 1.125rem; line-height: 1.66667; margin-bottom: 15px;">Millions visit the site each year, including world leaders and dignitaries, which is located in Lintong, 25 miles from the Xi'an city center.</div><div class="zn-body__read-all" style="background-color: #fefefe; box-sizing: border-box; color: #262626; font-family: CNN, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, Utkal, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"><div class="zn-body__paragraph" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 1.125rem; line-height: 1.66667; margin-bottom: 15px;">The entire area benefits from tourism, which generated 4.6 billion yuan ($720 million) in 2014, according to the local government.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1PoBu_PeIg7Dqx2DBfQqoMFMskdKyGZ-FsnKr3Y47KxA8zBWjS1wQihPafoPPMFWFfcOHDqwUVK0TT0vBwZYIluf_Q34IGHWIfp1avaz5rbWnXjiBfy189iiZutCRICAuy6jQAXOk9tZ8/s1600/151118042335-terracotta-warriors2-exlarge-169.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1PoBu_PeIg7Dqx2DBfQqoMFMskdKyGZ-FsnKr3Y47KxA8zBWjS1wQihPafoPPMFWFfcOHDqwUVK0TT0vBwZYIluf_Q34IGHWIfp1avaz5rbWnXjiBfy189iiZutCRICAuy6jQAXOk9tZ8/s1600/151118042335-terracotta-warriors2-exlarge-169.jpg" /></a></div><ul class="cn cn-list-hierarchical-xs cn--idx-8 cn-zoneAdContainer" style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"></ul><div class="zn-body__paragraph" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 1.125rem; line-height: 1.66667; margin-bottom: 15px;"></div><h3 style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; font-size: 2rem; font-weight: 300; line-height: 1.25; margin: 0px; padding-top: 10px;">Greatness and cruelty</h3><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1em;"></div><div class="zn-body__paragraph" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 1.125rem; line-height: 1.66667; margin-bottom: 15px;">Since the discovery of the warriors, archaeologists have excavated three pits, uncovering more than 8,000 life-size Terra-cotta figures, horses and chariots.</div><div class="zn-body__paragraph" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 1.125rem; line-height: 1.66667; margin-bottom: 15px;">Experts believe the figures reveal the emperor's craving for eternal greatness.</div><div class="zn-body__paragraph" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 1.125rem; line-height: 1.66667; margin-bottom: 15px;">Amazingly, no two figures are exactly alike.</div><div class="zn-body__paragraph" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 1.125rem; line-height: 1.66667; margin-bottom: 15px;">Each warrior has unique facial features.</div><div class="zn-body__paragraph" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 1.125rem; line-height: 1.66667; margin-bottom: 15px;">Details were so painstakingly sculpted by ancient craftsmen that even hairlines can be clearly identified.</div><div class="zn-body__paragraph" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 1.125rem; line-height: 1.66667; margin-bottom: 15px;">Infantry, archers, generals, cavalry ... the military hierarchy is distinguished by the weaponry each figure holds and positions in which they stand.</div><div class="zn-body__paragraph" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 1.125rem; line-height: 1.66667; margin-bottom: 15px;">Du Wenyiyu, a historian at Shaanxi Normal University, tells CNN the warriors showcase an extraordinary level of craftsmanship and artistry in play 2,200 years ago.</div><div class="zn-body__paragraph" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 1.125rem; line-height: 1.66667; margin-bottom: 15px;">"Look at the soldiers and horses, they were just so vividly carved," he says with the enthusiasm of a first-time visitor.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgInqMujcdNg4ZFIT73TCydNg83m7v3XRYS2UCfyWB7o51sTTC1n5KKYvthgaIvBPpLQC5K5F0BlAfb0EEfMaZRc61jeKj3LnElh-dbV3HGiNGuQsl2NeE-zrnzulX_CWJG3KpBf-H4GC-R/s1600/151118041627-terracotta-warriors1-exlarge-169.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgInqMujcdNg4ZFIT73TCydNg83m7v3XRYS2UCfyWB7o51sTTC1n5KKYvthgaIvBPpLQC5K5F0BlAfb0EEfMaZRc61jeKj3LnElh-dbV3HGiNGuQsl2NeE-zrnzulX_CWJG3KpBf-H4GC-R/s640/151118041627-terracotta-warriors1-exlarge-169.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="zn-body__paragraph" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 1.125rem; line-height: 1.66667; margin-bottom: 15px;"></div><h3 style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; font-size: 2rem; font-weight: 300; line-height: 1.25; margin: 0px; padding-top: 10px;">Terra-cotta concubines and musicians, too</h3><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1em;"></div><div class="zn-body__paragraph" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 1.125rem; line-height: 1.66667; margin-bottom: 15px;">Du, who first saw the warriors when the site was under excavation in 1974, says the grand army reveals a strong burial tradition -- in ancient China, people believed souls carried on in another world.</div><div class="zn-body__paragraph" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 1.125rem; line-height: 1.66667; margin-bottom: 15px;">"The emperor had the strongest army in the world when he was alive, so he wanted the same strong army after he died," says Du.</div><div class="zn-body__paragraph" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 1.125rem; line-height: 1.66667; margin-bottom: 15px;">But it's not just soldiers.</div><div class="zn-body__paragraph" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 1.125rem; line-height: 1.66667; margin-bottom: 15px;">Terra-cotta musicians, officials and concubines have been found in other pits.</div><div class="zn-body__paragraph" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 1.125rem; line-height: 1.66667; margin-bottom: 15px;">"He wanted exactly the same grand services and treatment for his afterlife," says Du.</div><div class="zn-body__paragraph" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 1.125rem; line-height: 1.66667; margin-bottom: 15px;">Before Qin Shi Huang, emperors would bury people alive.</div><div class="zn-body__paragraph" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 1.125rem; line-height: 1.66667; margin-bottom: 15px;">Du believes creating terra-cotta figures to replace people as funerary objects represents a significant move forward in civilization.</div><div class="zn-body__paragraph" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 1.125rem; line-height: 1.66667; margin-bottom: 15px;"></div><h3 style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; font-size: 2rem; font-weight: 300; line-height: 1.25; margin: 0px; padding-top: 10px;">Amazing construction</h3><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1em;"></div><div class="zn-body__paragraph" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 1.125rem; line-height: 1.66667; margin-bottom: 15px;">More than 700,000 craftsmen worked round the clock for about two decades to build Qin Shi Huang's mausoleum.</div><div class="zn-body__paragraph" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 1.125rem; line-height: 1.66667; margin-bottom: 15px;">Known for his cruelty, the emperor later killed the laborers who were overly familiar with the map and layout of the underground palace.</div><div class="zn-body__paragraph" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 1.125rem; line-height: 1.66667; margin-bottom: 15px;">Upon excavation, few of the warriors or horses were fully intact.</div><div class="zn-body__paragraph" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 1.125rem; line-height: 1.66667; margin-bottom: 15px;">The now-famed figures lining the pits have all been restored by experts over the past 40 years.</div><div class="zn-body__paragraph" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 1.125rem; line-height: 1.66667; margin-bottom: 15px;">Hundreds of experts are still restoring the warriors by putting together broken pottery pieces.</div><div class="zn-body__paragraph" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 1.125rem; line-height: 1.66667; margin-bottom: 15px;">It takes about a month to reconstruct a single clay warrior.</div><div class="zn-body__paragraph" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 1.125rem; line-height: 1.66667; margin-bottom: 15px;">When the warriors were created, they were painted in bright colors.</div><div class="zn-body__paragraph" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 1.125rem; line-height: 1.66667; margin-bottom: 15px;">Sadly, much of the color vanished almost immediately after excavation.</div><div class="zn-body__paragraph" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 1.125rem; line-height: 1.66667; margin-bottom: 15px;">Even modern digging and preservation techniques are of little help.</div><div class="zn-body__paragraph" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 1.125rem; line-height: 1.66667; margin-bottom: 15px;">The army is only part of a garrison in Qin Shi Huang's mausoleum, which covers nearly 14,000 acres -- a little bigger than the size of Vatican City.</div><div class="zn-body__paragraph" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 1.125rem; line-height: 1.66667; margin-bottom: 15px;">Most of it remains unearthed.</div><div class="zn-body__paragraph" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 1.125rem; line-height: 1.66667; margin-bottom: 15px;">More than 400 additional pits have been discovered near the Terra-cotta Army, but the massive underground palace largely remains mystery, as scientists are afraid of damage that might be caused by hurried evacuation efforts.</div><div class="zn-body__paragraph" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 1.125rem; line-height: 1.66667; margin-bottom: 15px;"></div><h3 style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; font-size: 2rem; font-weight: 300; line-height: 1.25; margin: 0px; padding-top: 10px;">Getting there</h3><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1em;"></div><div class="zn-body__paragraph" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 1.125rem; line-height: 1.66667; margin-bottom: 15px;">Bus: Bus 306, 914 and 915 run to the museum from the main train station just outside the North Gate (not the fast train station, further north). These are frequent routes with the route labeled in English on the side of the bus.</div><div class="zn-body__paragraph" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 1.125rem; line-height: 1.66667; margin-bottom: 15px;">Taxis cost about 120 yuan ($19) for a one-way trip from Xi'an.</div><div class="zn-body__paragraph" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 1.125rem; line-height: 1.66667; margin-bottom: 15px;">Hired cars (you can arrange through hotel desk) run about 400 yuan ($62.50) for a day trip, including the time the driver waits for your party.</div><div class="el__leafmedia el__leafmedia--tripadvisor" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><div class="el-embed-tripadvisor" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><div class="cnn-travel-map align-left clearfix" data-alignment="left" data-attractions="off" data-display="service_info" data-height="256" data-hotels="off" data-markers="{"list"&#58;[{"name"&#58;"The Museum of Qin Terra-cotta Warriors and Horses","city"&#58;"Xi'an","locationId"&#58;"321017"}]}" data-restaurants="off" data-service-info="+86 029 8139 9127" data-timestamp="1448044250072" data-width="100%" data-zoom="13" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; float: none; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 1em 0px; max-width: 780px; min-width: 295px; width: 780px;"><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em; padding: 0px;"><em style="box-sizing: border-box;"><a href="http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g298557-d321017-Reviews-m14631-The_Museum_of_Qin_Terra_cotta_Warriors_and_Horses-Xi_an_Shaanxi.html" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #006598; text-decoration: none; transition: color 0.2s;" target="_blank">The Museum of Qin Terra-cotta Warriors and Horses</a>, Qinling North Road, Lintong District, Xi'an 710600 China; +86 029 8139 9127</em></div><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em; padding: 0px;"><em style="box-sizing: border-box;"><br /></em></div><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em; padding: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><b>Source by : CNN</b></span></div></div></div></div></div>

Xi'an's Terra-cotta warriors: What to know before visiting

Xi'an, China (CNN) It's said if you don't visit the Terra-cotta Army while in Xi'an, your visit to the ancient Chinese city ...

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Safer way to do gene editing

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt3VF8rojiRoDJsPQFWYiEsjdoOyzqrp1Dpvg_w7MNFu3HG7tn9J_eyftouyBVTjtx1c3kJGQzRmjKXXhiHt5qYWjpe9GpYt8fQwpsJoTrCfl6loYy6KW8noQzA_54aeX-hVdM3ZDmyzLy/s1600/_86982818_f0024788-dna_molecule%252C_artwork-spl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt3VF8rojiRoDJsPQFWYiEsjdoOyzqrp1Dpvg_w7MNFu3HG7tn9J_eyftouyBVTjtx1c3kJGQzRmjKXXhiHt5qYWjpe9GpYt8fQwpsJoTrCfl6loYy6KW8noQzA_54aeX-hVdM3ZDmyzLy/s1600/_86982818_f0024788-dna_molecule%252C_artwork-spl.jpg" /></a></div><div class="story-body__introduction" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #404040; font-family: Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.375; margin-top: 28px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Scientists say they have fine tuned a gene editing method to make it safer and more accurate - vital if it is to be used in humans to cure inherited diseases or inborn errors.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #404040; font-family: Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1rem; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.375; margin-top: 23px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The advance, outlined in <a class="story-body__link-external" href="http://www.sciencemag.org/embargo?embargoed-uri=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sciencemag.org%2Fcontent%2Fearly%2F2015%2F11%2F30%2Fscience.aad5227" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(17, 103, 168, 0.298039); border-bottom-color: rgb(220, 220, 220); border-bottom-style: solid; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; color: #222222; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; letter-spacing: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Science Magazine</a>, comes as world leaders in the field gather to debate the ethics of altering human DNA using the method, known as Crispr-Cas9.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #404040; font-family: Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1rem; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.375; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Gene editing holds medical promise.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #404040; font-family: Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1rem; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.375; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">But changing a person's DNA also has potential risks and ethical quandaries.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #404040; font-family: Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1rem; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.375; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The first <a class="story-body__link-external" href="http://nationalacademies.org/gene-editing/Gene-Edit-Summit/index.htm" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(17, 103, 168, 0.298039); border-bottom-color: rgb(220, 220, 220); border-bottom-style: solid; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; color: #222222; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; letter-spacing: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">International Summit on Human Gene Editing</a> will debate how far the science should progress.</div><h2 class="story-body__crosshead" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #1e1e1e; font-family: Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.25rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.2; margin: 18px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Crispr-Cas9</h2><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #404040; font-family: Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1rem; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.375; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Crispr-Cas9 is a DNA cutting and pasting system that scientists have borrowed from nature. Bacteria use it to protect themselves against foreign DNA from viruses.</div><figure class="media-landscape no-caption full-width" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; clear: both; color: #404040; font-family: Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 16px; margin: 24px -24.6406px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="image-and-copyright-container" style="border: 0px; color: inherit; display: block; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; letter-spacing: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline;"><img alt="Bacterial DNA" class="responsive-image__img js-image-replace" datasrc="http://ichef-1.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/DD29/production/_86971665_c0097503-bacterial_dna,_conceptual_artwork-spl.jpg" height="549" src="http://ichef-1.bbci.co.uk/news/624/cpsprodpb/DD29/production/_86971665_c0097503-bacterial_dna,_conceptual_artwork-spl.jpg" style="-webkit-user-select: none; border: 0px; color: inherit; display: block; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; height: auto; letter-spacing: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; transition: opacity 0.5s ease-in; vertical-align: baseline; width: 616.203px;" width="976" /><span class="off-screen" style="border: 0px !important; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); color: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; height: 1px !important; letter-spacing: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px !important; position: absolute !important; vertical-align: baseline; width: 1px !important;">Image copyright</span><span class="story-image-copyright" style="background: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.6); border: 0px; bottom: 0px; color: #ececec; font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.5625rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; letter-spacing: 0.25px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding: 3px 8px 1px; position: absolute; right: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Science Photo Library</span></span></figure><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #404040; font-family: Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1rem; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.375; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Scientists have been using it in the lab to target and cut out faulty DNA in human cells that cause illnesses.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #404040; font-family: Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1rem; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.375; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">While effective, the process is less than perfect and can cut out too much DNA, experts have found.</div><figure class="media-portrait no-caption full-width" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; clear: both; color: #404040; font-family: Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 16px; margin: 24px -24.6406px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="image-and-copyright-container" style="border: 0px; color: inherit; display: block; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; letter-spacing: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline;"><img alt="Gene editing" class="responsive-image__img js-image-replace" datasrc="http://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/17969/production/_86971669_gene_editing_624in.png" height="804" src="http://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/624/cpsprodpb/17969/production/_86971669_gene_editing_624in.png" style="-webkit-user-select: none; border: 0px; color: inherit; display: block; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; height: auto; letter-spacing: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; transition: opacity 0.5s ease-in; vertical-align: baseline; width: 616.203px;" width="624" /></span></figure><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #404040; font-family: Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1rem; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.375; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="story-body__link" href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-34974369" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(17, 103, 168, 0.298039); border-bottom-color: rgb(220, 220, 220); border-bottom-style: solid; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; color: #222222; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; letter-spacing: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">How gene editing works</a></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #404040; font-family: Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1rem; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.375; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">These unwanted or 'off-target' edits could alter other important genes, inadvertently triggering cancer, for example.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #404040; font-family: Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1rem; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.375; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Researchers at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard believe they have solved this problem by changing the molecular structure of the Cas9 enzyme.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #404040; font-family: Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1rem; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.375; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Their modified version should now only snip out the DNA it is designed to, leaving the rest of the precious genetic code intact, the US team say.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #404040; font-family: Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1rem; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.375; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">They made changes to amino acids - the building blocks of Cas9 - and found this improved its accuracy, reducing the risk of 'off-target' cuts.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #404040; font-family: Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1rem; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.375; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">In repeated tests on human embryonic kidney cells, the researchers were unable to detect any cutting errors.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #404040; font-family: Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1rem; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.375; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Researcher Feng Zhang said this should help address some of the safety concerns.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #404040; font-family: Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1rem; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.375; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">But he added: "We certainly don't see this as a magic bullet. The field is advancing at a rapid pace, and there is still a lot to learn before we can consider applying this technology for clinical use."</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #404040; font-family: Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1rem; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.375; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Prof Malcolm White, an expert in Crispr and DNA repair at the University of St Andrews, said the early work was promising.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #404040; font-family: Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1rem; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.375; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">"The altered version of Cas9 seems to be a safer tool, which would be useful if scientists want to correct defects in human genes. But more studies are needed and ethical debates about when we should use gene editing will no doubt continue."</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #404040; font-family: Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1rem; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.375; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #404040; font-family: Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1rem; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.375; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>Source by : bbc</b></div>

Safer way to do gene editing

Scientists say they have fine tuned a gene editing method to make it safer and more accurate - vital if it is to be used in humans to cure i...

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Man's weight 'affects sperm cells'

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA7kOEi3Dr83x4JhsLsasPFfVUwB5HA_8qDlQ8x6vtIIo27sPp3Jq2jL9DLRy9IasQUfMTNXMYhCb_V48XYv3NqVFvbQezDC1cQ7Dh-4vDe00aBmtVxYE99zz8LroH7lpFxinT8OAiOKiz/s1600/_87016495_obesesperm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA7kOEi3Dr83x4JhsLsasPFfVUwB5HA_8qDlQ8x6vtIIo27sPp3Jq2jL9DLRy9IasQUfMTNXMYhCb_V48XYv3NqVFvbQezDC1cQ7Dh-4vDe00aBmtVxYE99zz8LroH7lpFxinT8OAiOKiz/s1600/_87016495_obesesperm.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="story-body__introduction" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #404040; font-family: Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.375; margin-top: 28px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">A man's weight affects the information passed on through his sperm and could leave his children predisposed to obesity, research in Denmark suggests.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #404040; font-family: Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1rem; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.375; margin-top: 23px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The sperm cells of lean and obese men possess different epigenetic marks, maybe changing the behaviour of genes.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #404040; font-family: Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1rem; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.375; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Dr Romain Barres, the author of the study, said: "When a woman is pregnant she should take care of herself.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #404040; font-family: Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1rem; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.375; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">"But if the implication of our study holds true, then recommendations should be directed towards men too."</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #404040; font-family: Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1rem; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.375; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Part of the research - which was carried out by the <a class="story-body__link-external" href="http://www.ku.dk/english/" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(17, 103, 168, 0.298039); border-bottom-color: rgb(220, 220, 220); border-bottom-style: solid; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; color: #222222; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; letter-spacing: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">University of Copenhagen</a> and published in the journal <a class="story-body__link-external" href="http://www.cell.com/cell-metabolism/home" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(17, 103, 168, 0.298039); border-bottom-color: rgb(220, 220, 220); border-bottom-style: solid; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; color: #222222; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; letter-spacing: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Cell Metabolism</a> - tested the sperm of six obese men who were undergoing weight-loss surgery.</div><h2 class="story-body__crosshead" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #1e1e1e; font-family: Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.25rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.2; margin: 18px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Appetite control</h2><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #404040; font-family: Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1rem; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.375; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">It looked at the men's sperm before treatment, a week after the surgery and then for a third time a year later.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #404040; font-family: Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1rem; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.375; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Dr Barres said changes to the sperm were noticeable in the men a week after the surgery, and also one year on.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #404040; font-family: Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1rem; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.375; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">He said although the genetic make-up of the sperm cells was likely to remain the same, he noticed "epigenetic changes", which could change the way a gene expresses itself in the body.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #404040; font-family: Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1rem; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.375; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Dr Barres admits a definitive scientific conclusion for how these epigenetic changes affect the gene is not yet scientifically known.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #404040; font-family: Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1rem; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.375; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">However, the sperm cell changes he recorded are linked to the genes known for appetite control and brain development.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #404040; font-family: Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1rem; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.375; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The five-year study also recorded similar sperm cell changes when it compared 13 lean men - who all had a BMI of below 30 - with 10 moderately obese men.</div><h2 class="story-body__crosshead" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #1e1e1e; font-family: Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.25rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.2; margin: 18px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">'Significant differences'</h2><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #404040; font-family: Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1rem; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.375; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Dr Barres said his findings have also been corroborated on mice and rats.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #404040; font-family: Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1rem; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.375; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">He goes on to suggest that there are possible evolutionary reasons why information about a father's weight would be valuable to offspring.</div><figure class="media-landscape has-caption full-width" style="background-color: #111111; border: 0px; clear: both; color: #404040; font-family: Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 16px; margin: 24px -24.6406px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="image-and-copyright-container" style="border: 0px; color: inherit; display: block; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; letter-spacing: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline;"><img alt="Romain Barres" class="responsive-image__img js-image-replace" datasrc="http://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/131A2/production/_87024287_romain.jpg" height="549" src="http://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/624/cpsprodpb/131A2/production/_87024287_romain.jpg" style="-webkit-user-select: none; border: 0px; color: #bdbdbd; display: block; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; height: auto; letter-spacing: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; transition: opacity 0.5s ease-in; vertical-align: baseline; width: 616.203px;" width="976" /><span class="off-screen" style="border: 0px !important; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); color: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; height: 1px !important; letter-spacing: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px !important; position: absolute !important; vertical-align: baseline; width: 1px !important;">Image copyright</span><span class="story-image-copyright" style="background: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.6); border: 0px; bottom: 0px; color: #ececec; font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.5625rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; letter-spacing: 0.25px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding: 3px 8px 1px; position: absolute; right: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Romain Barres</span></span><figcaption class="media-caption" style="border: 0px; color: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; letter-spacing: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; visibility: visible;"><span class="off-screen" style="border: 0px !important; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); color: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; height: 1px !important; letter-spacing: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px !important; position: absolute !important; vertical-align: baseline; width: 1px !important;">Image caption</span><span class="media-caption__text" style="border: 0px; color: #ececec; display: block; font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.8125rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; letter-spacing: inherit; line-height: 1.23077; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Dr Barres has been working on the research for five years</span></figcaption></figure><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #404040; font-family: Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1rem; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.375; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">His theory is that during in times of abundance, it is an instinctive way to encourage children to eat more and grow bigger.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #404040; font-family: Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1rem; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.375; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">"It's only recently that obesity is not an advantage," he said. "Only decades ago, the ability to store energy was an advantage to resist infections and famines."</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #404040; font-family: Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1rem; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.375; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Prof Allan Pacey from the University of Sheffield, described the study as "interesting" and said it provided further evidence to support the theory that some characteristics can be passed by sperm, without altering the basic structure of the genetic code.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #404040; font-family: Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1rem; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.375; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">"Whilst the study examines a relative small number of individuals, the fact that such significant differences can be found in the epigenetic markers of lean and obese men is intriguing and in my opinion worthy of more detailed investigation," he said.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #404040; font-family: Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1rem; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.375; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">"Until we know more, would-be parents should just aim to be as healthy as possible at the time of conception and not be drawn to faddy diets or other activities in order to try and influence the health of their children in ways we don't properly understand."</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #404040; font-family: Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1rem; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.375; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #404040; font-family: Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1rem; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.375; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Source by : bbc</div>

Man's weight 'affects sperm cells'

A man's weight affects the information passed on through his sperm and could leave his children predisposed to obesity, research in Denm...

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UK pays among 'lowest prices' for cancer drugs

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFwXltKqMjQy96stcYziiU9XVJ3UBLVl0Uw38NfnUZDcn6oRtr7OVjz07dEVKhx65ntIN0S1eO-755rRaLSouqyCrcqRjqofLXE47bwRYb0ruScF9YE0OkNtWyCfJZ59wYQ_UC7T9I5wLY/s1600/_87025761_thinkstockphotos-495629669.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFwXltKqMjQy96stcYziiU9XVJ3UBLVl0Uw38NfnUZDcn6oRtr7OVjz07dEVKhx65ntIN0S1eO-755rRaLSouqyCrcqRjqofLXE47bwRYb0ruScF9YE0OkNtWyCfJZ59wYQ_UC7T9I5wLY/s1600/_87025761_thinkstockphotos-495629669.jpg" /></a></div><div class="story-body__introduction" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #404040; font-family: Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.375; margin-top: 28px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The UK is paying less for new cancer drugs than a number of other high-income countries, according to a report in The Lancet Oncology.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #404040; font-family: Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1rem; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.375; margin-top: 23px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">While the UK, Greece, Spain and Portugal pay the least, on average, for the drugs they use, Germany, Sweden and Switzerland pay the most.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #404040; font-family: Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1rem; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.375; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The authors said more transparency was needed because some countries risked overpaying for drugs.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #404040; font-family: Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1rem; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.375; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The pharmaceutical industry said the UK was getting a fair deal on medicines.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #404040; font-family: Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1rem; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.375; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Prices of cancer drugs have risen steeply in recent years, placing major stress on many healthcare systems, including the NHS.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #404040; font-family: Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1rem; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.375; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="story-body__link-external" href="http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanonc/article/PIIS1470-2045(15)00449-0/abstract" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(17, 103, 168, 0.298039); border-bottom-color: rgb(220, 220, 220); border-bottom-style: solid; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; color: #222222; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; letter-spacing: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The report</a> said drugs had accounted for nearly a third of the EU's 51 billion euro (£37bn) cancer healthcare spending in 2009.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #404040; font-family: Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1rem; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.375; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">And the researchers then compared the 2013 price of 31 cancer drugs in 18 high-income countries, including the UK, Australia, New Zealand, France, Greece, Switzerland, Sweden and Portugal.</div><h2 class="story-body__crosshead" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #1e1e1e; font-family: Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.25rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.2; margin: 18px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Open pricing</h2><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #404040; font-family: Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1rem; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.375; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Prices in Greece were the lowest for 14 out of the 24 cancer drugs available there.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #404040; font-family: Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1rem; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.375; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The price of drugs in the UK was also low.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #404040; font-family: Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1rem; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.375; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Prices of drugs in Switzerland, Germany and Sweden were frequently the highest - and for some drugs, such as interferon alfa 2b to treat leukaemia and skin cancer, were twice as high.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #404040; font-family: Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1rem; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.375; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The price figures come from the Pharma Price Information service in Austria, which details what manufacturers charge per unit - a single tablet or vial of a drug, for example.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #404040; font-family: Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1rem; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.375; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">But although the official list prices published in this report are freely available, any further discounts - which are often negotiated by organisations in different countries - remain confidential.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #404040; font-family: Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1rem; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.375; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Sabine Vogler, report author and researcher at the Austrian Public Health Institute, said some countries risked overpaying for drugs as a result.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #404040; font-family: Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1rem; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.375; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">"The discounts should be open to everyone, but industry doesn't want to do it. However, it would allow some countries to see that they are overpaying."</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #404040; font-family: Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1rem; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.375; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">David Watson, director of pricing and reimbursement at the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry, said the report was evidence that newer medicines "are affordable in the UK".</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #404040; font-family: Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1rem; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.375; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">He said the UK was "getting a fair deal with regards to medicines pricing" and the NHS was "getting good value for money".</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #404040; font-family: Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1rem; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.375; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #404040; font-family: Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1rem; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.375; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>Source by : bbc</b></div>

UK pays among 'lowest prices' for cancer drugs

The UK is paying less for new cancer drugs than a number of other high-income countries, according to a report in The Lancet Oncology. While...

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Samsung to pay Apple $548m over patent row

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOyxMnT3_QauPeq4DmEGsgFFMwdAs9D7zvsJ5utyqmsROZkWCjZV2nLU0wqz7_P1T-fsuaEeyhZZe7MOINetcZ9clhhcPTf9zzCWfPlOrF6tRoPjRWCgzDuM587slPhQpA6947vgOF5FIC/s1600/_87033732_009874659-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOyxMnT3_QauPeq4DmEGsgFFMwdAs9D7zvsJ5utyqmsROZkWCjZV2nLU0wqz7_P1T-fsuaEeyhZZe7MOINetcZ9clhhcPTf9zzCWfPlOrF6tRoPjRWCgzDuM587slPhQpA6947vgOF5FIC/s1600/_87033732_009874659-1.jpg" /></a></div><div class="story-body__introduction" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #404040; font-family: Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.375; margin-top: 28px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Samsung has agreed to pay Apple $548m (£362m) as part of a deal to settle a long-running patent dispute.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #404040; font-family: Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1rem; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.375; margin-top: 23px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The arrangement was revealed in papers filed to a California court by both companies on Thursday.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #404040; font-family: Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1rem; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.375; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The dispute began in 2011 when Apple said Samsung was using some of its patented technologies without permission.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #404040; font-family: Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1rem; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.375; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The payment does not mean the end of the row as, next year, a US court will decide if Apple deserves more damages.</div><h2 class="story-body__crosshead" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #1e1e1e; font-family: Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.25rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.2; margin: 18px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Patent exam</h2><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #404040; font-family: Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1rem; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.375; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">A joint case management statement filed to the California court revealed that Samsung had agreed to pay Apple within 10 days of receiving an invoice.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #404040; font-family: Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1rem; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.375; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The payment is part of a bigger $1bn damages award that Apple was granted in 2012 by a jury that considered the case. That total was reduced on appeal to $930m. Further legal action split this total into two parts - a $548m chunk for technology patents and a $382m chunk for allegations that Samsung copied Apple's packaging materials.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #404040; font-family: Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1rem; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.375; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">A jury is due to decide on the second damages award in 2016.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #404040; font-family: Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1rem; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.375; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Despite agreeing to pay the first part of the settlement, Samsung said it reserved the right to get its money back if there were further developments in the case. The US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is currently reviewing some of the patents Apple used in the court case.</div><div class="hotspot hotspot--empty" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #404040; font-family: Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #404040; font-family: Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1rem; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.375; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Apple has disputed Samsung's right to a refund if the patents are ruled invalid.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #404040; font-family: Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1rem; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.375; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">One of the patents in the case, covering ways to add the "pinch to zoom" feature to smartphones, has already been ruled invalid by the USPTO. Apple is appealing against this decision.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #404040; font-family: Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1rem; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.375; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Soon after the USPTO made the decision to invalidate the pinch patent, Samsung lodged a call to review the entire case with the US appeals court. This call was rejected.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #404040; font-family: Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1rem; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.375; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">"After years of not getting a cent, more than half a billion dollars is significant," wrote patent expert <a class="story-body__link-external" href="http://www.fosspatents.com/2015/12/samsung-announces-payment-of-548.html" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(17, 103, 168, 0.298039); border-bottom-color: rgb(220, 220, 220); border-bottom-style: solid; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; color: #222222; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; letter-spacing: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Florian Mueller in a blogpost</a>.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #404040; font-family: Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1rem; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.375; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">However, he added, the continuing uncertainty about the validity of some Apple patents and Samsung's plans to file fresh appeals meant the case was a long way from reaching resolution.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #404040; font-family: Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1rem; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.375; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #404040; font-family: Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1rem; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.375; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>Source by : bbc</b></div>

Samsung to pay Apple $548m over patent row

Samsung has agreed to pay Apple $548m (£362m) as part of a deal to settle a long-running patent dispute. The arrangement was revealed in pap...

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Facebook rolls out live streaming video service

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioSre5ey9SoF2EGnHtCjucCm6uUBxxW1q36tUnp07mI8Lq5ZyBAETJte2MJrNHstEqnPuytFVYv3IpiO9CQtbafa3hrZYz1LR-R0QgwR3S-1bdM7GugqZIsU29mECvd7sXXOMhlAPF6gcp/s1600/_87035943_87035942.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioSre5ey9SoF2EGnHtCjucCm6uUBxxW1q36tUnp07mI8Lq5ZyBAETJte2MJrNHstEqnPuytFVYv3IpiO9CQtbafa3hrZYz1LR-R0QgwR3S-1bdM7GugqZIsU29mECvd7sXXOMhlAPF6gcp/s1600/_87035943_87035942.jpg" /></a></div><div class="story-body__introduction" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #404040; font-family: Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.375; margin-top: 28px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Facebook has begun rolling out a new feature on its social network which allows users to stream live video.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #404040; font-family: Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1rem; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.375; margin-top: 23px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">A select group of celebrities and high profile users have been able to use the service for several months.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #404040; font-family: Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1rem; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.375; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Live streaming via mobile phones has become one of the big technology trends of the year, with Twitter-owned Periscope and Meerkat proving popular.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #404040; font-family: Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1rem; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.375; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Last year, Amazon paid $1bn for live streaming game site Twitch.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #404040; font-family: Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1rem; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.375; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Initially Facebook's live video feature will be available only to a small percentage of people in the US and will be limited to iPhones.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #404040; font-family: Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1rem; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.375; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The tech giant said that "over time, the company plans to bring it to all users" but it did not give specific timescales.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #404040; font-family: Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1rem; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.375; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="story-body__link-external" href="http://newsroom.fb.com/news/2015/12/introducing-live-video-and-collages/" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(17, 103, 168, 0.298039); border-bottom-color: rgb(220, 220, 220); border-bottom-style: solid; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; color: #222222; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; letter-spacing: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">In a blogpost </a>introducing the service, Facebook said: "Live lets you show the people you care about what you're seeing in real time - whether visiting a new place, cooking your favourite recipe or just want to share some thoughts."</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #404040; font-family: Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1rem; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.375; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The stream will display the number of live viewers, the names of friends who are watching and real-time comments as they are written. The video will be saved to users' timelines until they choose to delete them.</div><h2 class="story-body__crosshead" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #1e1e1e; font-family: Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.25rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.2; margin: 18px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Nation of sharers</h2><div class="hotspot hotspot--empty" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #404040; font-family: Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #404040; font-family: Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1rem; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.375; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Facebook has also updated the way people can share photo collages - allowing users to mix photos and videos.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #404040; font-family: Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1rem; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.375; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Ian Maude, an analyst with research firm Enders said of the streaming service: "Facebook has a vast audience to promote services to so there is nothing stopping it from becoming a significant player in video streaming."</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #404040; font-family: Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1rem; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.375; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">He said that Britain, like many other countries, had become "a nation of sharers".</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #404040; font-family: Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1rem; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.375; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">"We like to tell what what we are doing all the time."</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #404040; font-family: Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1rem; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.375; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Privacy advocates have raised concerns about such services but Mr Maude believes that Facebook will be keen to avoid any controversy.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #404040; font-family: Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1rem; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.375; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">"They will be cognisant of the privacy concerns and I believe there are restrictions on how the content can be shared, so that it won't be automatically broadcast to everyone."</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #404040; font-family: Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1rem; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.375; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #404040; font-family: Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1rem; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.375; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>Source by : bbc</b></div>

Facebook rolls out live streaming video service

Facebook has begun rolling out a new feature on its social network which allows users to stream live video. A select group of celebrities an...

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