North Carolina is in the final stages of preparing to pay 10 million dollars in reparations to people who were victims of their state-sponsored sterilization program. The deadline to file for a payment, if you are a victim, is June 30, 2014. Payments are set to begin a year from now, in June 2015. An overview of the latest developments is here, information about filing a claim is here, and pgEd’s lesson plan that looks at the history of the American Eugenics Movement, with an emphasis on the situation in North Carolina, is found on our Lesson Plan page.
In the News
Teachers and others may see great potential in this story for classroom discussion about informed consent and genetic complexity. This article describes the controversy about free DNA kits being (almost) offered at an NFL football game this past weekend.
Football Fans Were Going To Get Free DNA Tests — Until Health Officials Stepped In
buzzfeed.com
At the Ravens vs. Browns game on Sunday, a biotech startup had planned to hand out tens of thousands of free genetic tests. But the promotion was axed at the last minute after questions from the MarylPosted by pgEd 6 days ago
Mini-lesson available for teachers: pged.org/back-to-school-mini-lesson-for-teachers-nfl-and-genetic-tests-at-the-stadium/
I just saw this article and came over here to share. You're already on top of it! So interesting, and more evidence why my students need to understand these issues!
Sickle cell disease may be one of the first conditions to be treated with CRISPR. To make that a reality, researchers are recognizing the importance of addressing issues of trust and affordability.
CRISPR gives sickle-cell patients hope for a cure
technologyreview.com
The disease may be among the first to be treated with the novel gene-editing tool.Posted by pgEd 1 month ago
Where do you get your news on the latest genetic technologies? Is there a venue in your community to debate and discuss genetics and ethics? As the New York Times covers the recent scientific paper that reports altering the DNA of human embryos, pgEd continues to engage as many people as possible about the ethical, social and personal issues in genetics. It is clear it is time to dive into these issues.
In Breakthrough, Scientists Edit a Dangerous Mutation From Genes in Human Embryos
nytimes.com
Researchers have found a way to reliably remove disease-causing mutations from human embryos, an achievement sure to renew concerns over so-called designer babies.Posted by pgEd 2 months ago
As we finish up another week of Teaching the Genome Generation at the Jackson Lab in Bar Harbor Maine, teachers are excited to receive a copy of David Epstein's "The Sports Gene". pgEd loves leading the social and ethical dimension of this annual professional development course. Looking for some summer reading? Check out pged.org/book-corner/
Posted by pgEd 2 months ago
What a wonderful three days at our Summer Institute! Thanks to our friends at Brockton High School for hosting us, and to all the teachers who came and shared their energy, passion and ideas. There will be lots for pgEd to get inspirations from as we develop our new unit of lessons on genetics and identity.
See everyone at our next workshop in Boston in less than two weeks!
Posted by pgEd 3 months ago
