A solar-powered airplane finished crossing the United States on Saturday, landing in New York City after flying over the Statue of Liberty during its historic bid to circle the globe, the project team said. The spindly, single-seat experimental aircraft, dubbed Solar Impulse 2, arrived at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport at about 4 a.m. local time after it took off about five hours beforehand at Lehigh Valley International Airport in Pennsylvania, the team reported on the airplane's website. Such a pleasure to land in New York! For the 14th time we celebrate sustainability," said the project's co-founder Andre Borschberg on Twitter after flying over the city and the Statue of Liberty during the 14th leg of the trip around the globe. The Swiss team flying the aircraft in a campaign to build support for clean energy technologies hopes eventually to complete its circumnavigation in Abu Dhabi, where the journey began in March 2015. The solar cr...
UK scientists are seeking permission to genetically modify human embryos for the first time. Researchers at The Francis Crick Institute in London want to use a controversial genetic technique to carry out research into infertility. The embryos would be destroyed after the research and not implanted into the womb. The government's fertility watchdog said it had received the application, which would be looked at in due course. In the UK, it is illegal to use gene editing of embryos in IVF treatment, but it is permissible for research purposes, under a licence. "We have recently received an application to use Crispr/Cas9 (gene editing) in one of our licensed research projects, and it will be considered in due course," said a spokesperson for the Human Fertilisation & Embryology Authority (HFEA).
When scientists in China announced they had genetically modified
human embryos in a world first earlier this year, there was an outcry. The embryos were never destined for use in IVF, but there were concerns the work could be a slippery slope towards designer babies. The technique - known as gene editing - can make precise changes to DNA. But any alterations would be passed on to future generations if the embryos were ever to be used in human reproduction. It would be illegal to do this under British law, although it is permissible to use the technique for research purposes, where the embryos are eventually destroyed. The Francis Crick Institute is the first to apply for a research license, making it something of a test case.
The researchers want to use the technique to look at the earliest stages of human development, in the hope of better understanding why some women have miscarriages. The HFEA will now consider the application, but no decision is expected for some weeks or months. Most scientists agree that genome editing should not be used for reproductive purposes at present. But they say this is not a reason to block research.
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