Patenting Genes and Stem Cells

Danish Council of Ethics released this report on patenting of genes from humans and of hES cells.

British Sperm Shortage

The Brits are getting antsy as their sperm supplies dry up on the cusp of new donor transparency regulations. A Danish sperm bank - Cryos International - is readying its supplies in order to corner the UK market. In part because they export "Scandanavian looks" all over the world, Cryos is the world's preeminent sperm bank. - Dominic Sisti

Thor's Sperm

You couldn't make up a joke as good as the story in the Times today about the Arhus sperm bank Cryos International, which is marketing sperm from the men of Denmark by playing on the Scandanavian mystique, as well as the high success rates encountered with that sperm and the laws there that protect the anonymity of donors. One of us is on record in the journal Human Reproduction about the dangers of anonymous donation, but frankly the customers of this bank are already so far gone that issues about the risks of anonymity for their children are the least of their problems. File this under "soon to be a movie."