Page 1,276«..1020..1,2751,2761,2771,278..1,2901,300..»

Category Archives: Transhuman News

On the Origins of Modern Biology and the Fantastic: Part 18 Nalo Hopkinson and Stem Cell Research – tor.com

Posted: May 29, 2020 at 12:52 am

She just wanted to be somewhere safe, somewhere familiar, where people looked and spoke like her and she could stand to eat the food. Midnight Robber by Nalo Hopkinson

Midnight Robber (2000) is about a woman, divided. Raised on the high-tech utopian planet of Touissant, Tan-Tan grows up on a planet populated by the descendants of a Caribbean diaspora, where all labor is performed by an all-seeing AI. But when she is exiled to Touissants parallel universe twin planet, the no-tech New Half-Way Tree, with her sexually abusive father, she becomes divided between good and evil Tan-Tans. To make herself and New Half-Way Tree whole, she adopts the persona of the legendary Robber Queen and becomes a legend herself. It is a wondrous blend of science fictional tropes and Caribbean mythology written in a Caribbean vernacular which vividly recalls the history of slavery and imperialism that shaped Touissant and its people, published at a time when diverse voices and perspectives within science fiction were blossoming.

Science fiction has long been dominated by white, Western perspectives. Vernes tech-forward adventures and Wells sociological allegories established two distinctive styles, but still centered on white imperialism and class struggle. Subsequent futures depicted in Verne-like pulp and Golden Age stories, where lone white heroes conquered evil powers or alien planets, mirrored colonialist history and the subjugation of non-white races. The civil rights era saw the incorporation of more Wellsian sociological concerns, and an increase in the number of non-white faces in the future, but they were often tokensparts of a dominant white monoculture. Important figures that presaged modern diversity included Star Treks Lieutenant Uhura, played by Nichelle Nichols. Nichols was the first black woman to play a non-servant character on TV; though her glorified secretary role frustrated Nichols, her presence was a political act, showing there was space for black people in the future.

Another key figure was the musician and poet Sun Ra, who laid the aesthetic foundation for what would become known as the Afrofuturist movement (the term coined by Mark Dery in a 1994 essay), which showed pride in black history and imagined the future through a black cultural lens. Within science fiction, the foundational work of Samuel Delany and Octavia Butler painted realistic futures in which the histories and cultural differences of people of color had a place. Finally, an important modern figure in the decentralization of the dominant Western perspective is Nalo Hopkinson.

A similarly long-standing paradigm lies at the heart of biology, extending back to Darwins theoretical and Mendels practical frameworks for the evolution of genetic traits via natural selection. Our natures werent determined by experience, as Lamarck posited, but by genes. Therefore, genes determine our reproductive fitness, and if we can understand genes, we might take our futures into our own hands to better treat disease and ease human suffering. This theory was tragically over-applied, even by Darwin, who in Descent of Man (1871) conflated culture with biology, assuming the Wests conquest of indigenous cultures meant white people were genetically superior. After the Nazis committed genocide in the name of an all-white future, ideas and practices based in eugenics declined, as biological understanding of genes matured. The Central Dogma of the 60s maintained the idea of a mechanistic meaning of life, as advances in genetic engineering and the age of genomics enabled our greatest understanding yet of how genes and disease work. The last major barrier between us and our transhumanist future therefore involved understanding how genes determine cellular identity, and as well see, key figures in answering that question are stem cells.

***

Hopkinson was born December 20, 1960 in Kingston, Jamaica. Her mother was a library technician and her father wrote, taught, and acted. Growing up, Hopkinson was immersed in the Caribbean literary scene, fed on a steady diet of theater, dance, readings, and visual arts exhibitions. She loved to readfrom folklore, to classical literature, to Kurt Vonnegutand loved science fiction, from Spock and Uhura on Star Trek, to Le Guin, James Tiptree Jr., and Delany. Despite being surrounded by a vibrant writing community, it didnt occur to her to become a writer herself. What they were writing was poetry and mimetic fiction, Hopkinson said, whereas I was reading science fiction and fantasy. It wasnt until I was 16 and stumbled upon an anthology of stories written at the Clarion Science Fiction Workshop that I realized there were places where you could be taught how to write fiction. Growing up, her family moved often, from Jamaica to Guyana to Trinidad and back, but in 1977, they moved to Toronto to get treatment for her fathers chronic kidney disease, and Hopkinson suddenly became a minority, thousands of miles from home.

Development can be described as an orderly alienation. In mammals, zygotes divide and subsets of cells become functionally specialized into, say, neurons or liver cells. Following the discovery of DNA as the genetic material in the 1950s, a question arose: did dividing cells retain all genes from the zygote, or were genes lost as it specialized? British embryologist John Gurdon addressed this question in a series of experiments in the 60s using frogs. Gurdon transplanted nuclei from varyingly differentiated cells into oocytes stripped of their genetic material to see if a new frog was made. He found the more differentiated a cell was, the lower the chance of success, but the successes confirmed that no genetic material was lost. Meanwhile, Canadian biologists Ernest McCulloch and James Till were transplanting bone marrow to treat irradiated mice when they noticed it caused lumps in the mices spleens, and the number of lumps correlated with the cellular dosage. Their lab subsequently demonstrated that each lump was a clonal colony from a single donor cell, and a subset of those cells was self-renewing and could form further colonies of any blood cell type. They had discovered hematopoietic stem cells. In 1981 the first embryonic stem cells (ESCs) from mice were successfully propagated in culture by British biologist Martin Evans, winning him the Nobel Prize in 2007. This breakthrough allowed biologists to alter genes in ESCs, then use Gurdons technique to create transgenic mice with that alteration in every cellcreating the first animal models of disease.

In 1982, one year after Evans discovery, Hopkinson graduated with honors from York University. She worked in the arts, as a library clerk, government culture research officer, and grants officer for the Toronto Arts Council, but wouldnt begin publishing her own fiction until she was 34. [I had been] politicized by feminist and Caribbean literature into valuing writing that spoke of particular cultural experiences of living under colonialism/patriarchy, and also of writing in ones own vernacular speech, Hopkinson said. In other words, I had models for strong fiction, and I knew intimately the body of work to which I would be responding. Then I discovered that Delany was a black man, which opened up a space for me in SF/F that I hadnt known I needed. She sought out more science fiction by black authors and found Butler, Charles Saunders, and Steven Barnes. Then the famous feminist science fiction author and editor Judy Merril offered an evening course in writing science fiction through a Toronto college, Hopkinson said. The course never ran, but it prompted me to write my first adult attempt at a science fiction story. Judy met once with the handful of us she would have accepted into the course and showed us how to run our own writing workshop without her. Hopkinsons dream of attending Clarion came true in 1995, with Delany as an instructor. Her early short stories channeled her love of myth and folklore, and her first book, written in Caribbean dialect, married Caribbean myth to the science fictional trappings of black market organ harvesting. Brown Girl in the Ring (1998) follows a young single mother as shes torn between her ancestral culture and modern life in a post-economic collapse Toronto. It won the Aspect and Locus Awards for Best First Novel, and Hopkinson was awarded the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer.

In 1996, Dolly the Sheep was created using Gurdons technique to determine if mammalian cells also could revert to more a more primitive, pluripotent state. Widespread animal cloning attempts soon followed, (something Hopkinson used as a science fictional element in Brown Girl) but it was inefficient, and often produced abnormal animals. Ideas of human cloning captured the public imagination as stem cell research exploded onto the scene. One ready source for human ESC (hESC) materials was from embryos which would otherwise be destroyed following in vitro fertilization (IVF) but the U.S. passed the Dickey-Wicker Amendment prohibited federal funding of research that destroyed such embryos. Nevertheless, in 1998 Wisconsin researcher James Thomson, using private funding, successfully isolated and cultured hESCs. Soon after, researchers around the world figured out how to nudge cells down different lineages, with ideas that transplant rejection and genetic disease would soon become things of the past, sliding neatly into the hole that the failure of genetic engineering techniques had left behind. But another blow to the stem cell research community came in 2001, when President Bushs stem cell ban limited research in the U.S. to nineteen existing cell lines.

In the late 1990s, another piece of technology capturing the public imagination was the internet, which promised to bring the world together in unprecedented ways. One such way was through private listservs, the kind used by writer and academic Alondra Nelson to create a space for students and artists to explore Afrofuturist ideas about technology, space, freedom, culture and art with science fiction at the center. It was wonderful, Hopkinson said. It gave me a place to talk and debate with like-minded people about the conjunction of blackness and science fiction without being shouted down by white men or having to teach Racism 101. Connections create communities, which in turn create movements, and in 1999, Delanys essay, Racism and Science Fiction, prompted a call for more meaningful discussions around race in the SF community. In response, Hopkinson became a co-founder of the Carl Brandon society, which works to increase awareness and representation of people of color in the community.

Hopkinsons second novel, Robber, was a breakthrough success and was nominated for Hugo, Nebula, and Tiptree Awards. She would also release Skin Folk (2001), a collection of stories in which mythical figures of West African and Afro-Caribbean culture walk among us, which would win the World Fantasy Award and was selected as one ofThe New York Times Best Books of the Year. Hopkinson also obtained masters degree in fiction writing (which helped alleviate U.S. border hassles when traveling for speaking engagements) during which she wrote The Salt Roads (2003). I knew it would take a level of research, focus and concentration I was struggling to maintain, Hopkinson said. I figured it would help to have a mentor to coach me through it. That turned out to be James Morrow, and he did so admirably. Roads is a masterful work of slipstream literary fantasy that follows the lives of women scattered through time, bound together by the salt uniting all black life. It was nominated for a Nebula and won the Gaylactic Spectrum Award. Hopkinson also edited anthologies centering around different cultures and perspectives, including Whispers from the Cotton Tree Root: Caribbean Fabulist Fiction (2000), Mojo: Conjure Stories (2003), and So Long, Been Dreaming: Postcolonial Science Fiction & Fantasy (2004). She also came out with the award-winning novelThe New Moons Arms in 2007, in which a peri-menopausal woman in a fictional Caribbean town is confronted by her past and the changes she must make to keep her family in her life.

While the stem cell ban hamstrung hESC work, Gurdons research facilitated yet another scientific breakthrough. Researchers began untangling how gene expression changed as stem cells differentiated, and in 2006, Shinya Yamanaka of Kyoto University reported the successful creation of mouse stem cells from differentiated cells. Using a list of 24 pluripotency-associated genes, Yamanaka systematically tested different gene combinations on terminally differentiated cells. He found four genesthereafter known as Yamanaka factorsthat could turn them into induced-pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), and he and Gurdon would share a 2012 Nobel prize. In 2009, President Obama lifted restrictions on hESC research, and the first clinical trial involving products made using stem cells happened that year. The first human trials using hESCs to treat spinal injuries happened in 2014, and the first iPSC clinical trials for blindness began this past December.

Hopkinson, too, encountered complications and delays at points in her career. For years, Hopkinson suffered escalating symptoms from fibromyalgia, a chronic disease that runs in her family, which interfered with her writing, causing Hopkinson and her partner to struggle with poverty and homelessness. But in 2011, Hopkinson applied to become a professor of Creative Writing at the University of California, Riverside. It seemed in many ways tailor-made for me, Hopkinson said. They specifically wanted a science fiction writer (unheard of in North American Creative Writing departments); they wanted someone with expertise working with a diverse range of people; they were willing to hire someone without a PhD, if their publications were sufficient; they were offering the security of tenure. She got the job, and thanks to a steady paycheck and the benefits of the mild California climate, she got back to writing. Her YA novel, The Chaos (2012), coming-of-age novelSister Mine (2013), and another short story collection, Falling in Love with Hominids (2015) soon followed. Her recent work includes House of Whispers (2018-present), a series in DC Comics Sandman Universe, the final collected volume of which is due out this June. Hopkinson also received an honorary doctorate in 2016 from Anglia Ruskin University in the U.K., and was Guest of Honor at 2017 Worldcon, a year in which women and people of color dominated the historically white, male ballot.

While the Yamanaka factors meant that iPSCs became a standard lab technique, iPSCs are not identical to hESCs. Fascinatingly, two of these factors act together to maintain the silencing of large swaths of DNA. Back in the 1980s, researchers discovered that some regions of DNA are modified by small methyl groups, which can be passed down through cell division. Different cell types have different DNA methylation patterns, and their distribution is far from random; they accumulate in the promoter regions just upstream of genes where their on/off switches are, and the greater the number of methyl groups, the lesser the genes expression. Furthermore, epigenetic modifications, like methylation, can be laid down by our environments (via diet, or stress) which can also be passed down through generations. Even some diseases, like fibromyalgia, have recently been implicated as such an epigenetic disease. Turns out that the long-standing biological paradigm that rejected Lamarck also missed the bigger picture: Nature is, in fact, intimately informed by nurture and environment.

In the past 150 years, we have seen ideas of community grow and expand as the world became more connected, so that they now encompass the globe. The histories of science fiction and biology are full of stories of pioneers opening new doorsbe they doors of greater representation or greater understanding, or bothand others following. If evolution has taught us anything, its that nature abhors a monoculture, and the universe tends towards diversification; healthy communities are ones which understand that we are not apart from the world, but of it, and that diversity of types, be they cells or perspectives, is a strength.

Kelly Lagor is a scientist by day and a science fiction writer by night. Her work has appeared at Tor.com and other places, and you can find her tweeting about all kinds of nonsense @klagor

Continue reading here:
On the Origins of Modern Biology and the Fantastic: Part 18 Nalo Hopkinson and Stem Cell Research - tor.com

Posted in Genetic Engineering | Comments Off on On the Origins of Modern Biology and the Fantastic: Part 18 Nalo Hopkinson and Stem Cell Research – tor.com

global market for viral vector and plasmid manufacturing is predicted to grow at a CAGR of 16.28% over the forecast period of 2020-2030 – Salamanca…

Posted: at 12:52 am

NEW YORK, May 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ --

Global Viral Vector and Plasmid Manufacturing Market to Reach $5.86 Billion by 2030

Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05902571/?utm_source=PRN

Market Report Coverage - Viral Vector and Plasmid Manufacturing

Market Segmentation

Vector Type Plasmid DNA and Viral Vector Viral Vector Type Adenovirus, Adeno-Associated Virus, Retrovirus, Lentivirus, Vaccinia Virus, and Other Viral Vectors Disease Type Cancer, Genetic Disease, Infectious Disease, Cardiovascular Disease, and Other Diseases Application Gene Therapy, Cell Therapy, Vaccinology, and Other Applications

Regional Segmentation North America U.S., Canada Europe Germany, U.K., France, Italy, Switzerland, Belgium, Spain, and Rest-of-Europe Asia-Pacific China, Australia, Japan, India, South Korea, Singapore, and Rest-of-Asia-Pacific Rest-of-the-World Latin America and Middle-East and Africa

Growth Drivers Rising Prevalence of Cancer, Genetic Disorders, and Infectious Diseases Rapid Uptake of Viral and Plasmid Vectors for the Development of Innovative Therapies Increasing Number of Clinical Studies for the Development of Gene Therapy Favorable Funding Scenario for Vector-Based Therapies

Market Challenges Unaffordable Cost of Gene Therapies High Manufacturing Costs of Viral Vectors and Plasmids Complications Associated with Large-Scale Production of Vectors

Market Opportunities Rising Demand for Synthetic Genes Emergence of Next-Generation Vectors

Key Companies ProfiledFUJIFILM Holdings Corporation, GENERAL ELECTRIC, Lonza, Merck KGaA, MolMed S.p.A., Novasep Holding, Oxford Biomedica plc, Catalent, Inc., Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc., GenScript, Boehringer Ingelheim, Wuxi AppTec Co., Ltd., Sartorius AG, Takara Bio Inc., and Aldevron, L.L.C.

Key Questions Answered: What is a vector, and what is its importance in the medical industry? What are the major characteristics and types of vectors? What are the areas of application of vectors? What are the major advancements in the viral vector and plasmid manufacturing sector? What are the key trends of the global viral vector and plasmid manufacturing market? How is the market evolving and what is its future scope? What are the major drivers, challenges, and opportunities of the global viral vector and plasmid manufacturing market? What are the key developmental strategies implemented by the key players of the global viral vector and plasmid manufacturing market to sustain the competition of the market? What is the percentage share of each of the key players in different key developmental strategies? What is the regulatory scenario of the global viral vector and plasmid manufacturing market? What are the initiatives implemented by different governmental bodies and guidelines put forward to regulate the commercialization of viral vector and plasmid manufacturing products? What are major milestones in patenting activity in the global viral vector and plasmid manufacturing market? What was the market size of the global viral vector and plasmid manufacturing market in 2019, and what is the market size anticipated to be in 2030? What is the expected growth rate of the global viral vector and plasmid manufacturing market during the period between 2020 and 2030? What is the global market size for manufacturing plasmids and different types of viral vectors available in the global viral vector and plasmid manufacturing market in 2019? What are the key trends of the market with respect to different vectors and which vector type is expected to dominate the market during the forecast period 2020-2030? What are the different disease areas where plasmids and viral vectors are employed in the global viral vector and plasmid manufacturing market? Which disease type dominated the market in 2019 and is expected to dominate in 2030? What are the different applications associated with viral vector and plasmid manufacturing? What was the contribution of each of the application areas in the global viral vector and plasmid manufacturing market in 2019, and what is it expected in 2030? Which region is expected to contribute the highest sales to the global viral vector and plasmid manufacturing market during the period between 2019 and 2030? Which region and country carry the potential for significant expansion of key companies in the viral vector and plasmid manufacturing market? What are the leading countries of different regions that contribute significantly toward the growth of the market? Which are the key players of the global viral vector and plasmid manufacturing market, and what are their roles in the market? What was the market share of the key players in 2019?

Market OverviewThe ability of vectors to carry out genetic modification through the introduction of therapeutic DNA/gene into a patient's body or cell has enabled its application in a wide range of modern therapies, including cell and gene therapies.Growing prominence of these therapies in different medical applications has therefore resulted in an increased demand for both viral and non-viral vectors.

Vector-based therapies are currently being used for the treatment of a large number of diseases, including cancer, infectious diseases, genetic diseases, and cardiovascular diseases, among others.Viral vectors and plasmid reduce the cost of treatment and help in decreasing repeated administrations of medications.

Moreover, vectors are also increasingly being used in the field of vaccinology for the development of vaccines owing to the advantage offered by them in inducing a wide range of immune response types. Several players, including biopharmaceutical companies, research institutes, contract manufacturing organizations, and non-profit organizations, have therefore focussed their interest on the development and production of viral vectors and plasmids.

Our healthcare experts have found viral vector and plasmid manufacturing industry to be one of the most rapidly evolving markets, and the global market for viral vector and plasmid manufacturing is predicted to grow at a CAGR of 16.28% over the forecast period of 2020-2030. The market is driven by certain factors, which include success of vector-based cell and gene therapies in treating various therapeutic conditions, increasing number of clinical studies in the field of gene therapy and availability of funding for vector-based gene therapy development, technological advancements in the biomanufacturing sector, and growing investments for expanding vector manufacturing facilities.The market is favoured by the rising prevalence of genetic disorders, cancer, and infectious diseases that has raised the demand for advanced therapeutics and increasing acceptance for comparatively newer treatment options in developing countries.However, the growth of the market is also affected by several factors.

Exorbitant manufacturing cost and highly regulated processes for large-scale vector production are the key challenges cited by industry experts.In addition, lack of required infrastructure and the shortfall of expertise in terms of scale, complexities, and quality assurance for vector production are some of the factors restraining the market growth.

However, rise of contract manufacturers has effectively addressed the above-articulated manufacturing challenges by offering a wide range of vector manufacturing services that offer lucrative opportunities for the growth of the market. Further, increase in research and developmental activities in vector engineering offers strong promise to drive the growth of the viral vector and plasmid manufacturing market in the upcoming years.

Within the research report, the market is segmented on the basis of vector type, application, disease, and region. Each of these segments covers the snapshot of the market over the projected years, the inclination of the market revenue, underlying patterns, and trends by using analytics on the primary and secondary data obtained.

Competitive LandscapeThe exponential rise in the application of viral vector and plasmid in various therapies on the global level has created a buzz among companies to invest significantly in viral vector and plasmid manufacturing market.The market is highly competitive, marking the presence of several contract manufacturing organizations and biopharmaceutical companies, who are engaged in in-house vector manufacturing.

Among the different players of the market, Lonza and Thermo Fisher Scientific hold majority of the market share. Other companies contributing significantly toward the growth of the global viral vector and plasmid manufacturing market include GE Healthcare, Fujifilm Holding Corporation, Merck KGaA, Oxford Biomedica plc, Sartorius AG, and Catalent, Inc., among others. On the basis of region, North America holds the largest market share, while Asia-Pacific is anticipated to grow at the fastest CAGR during the forecast period.

Countries Covered North America U.S. Canada Europe U.K. Germany France Spain Italy Switzerland Belgium Rest-of-Europe Asia-Pacific China Japan Australia South Korea India Singapore Rest-of-Asia-Pacific Rest-of-the-World

Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05902571/?utm_source=PRN

About ReportlinkerReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place.

__________________________Contact Clare: clare@reportlinker.comUS: (339)-368-6001Intl: +1 339-368-6001

View post:
global market for viral vector and plasmid manufacturing is predicted to grow at a CAGR of 16.28% over the forecast period of 2020-2030 - Salamanca...

Posted in Genetic Engineering | Comments Off on global market for viral vector and plasmid manufacturing is predicted to grow at a CAGR of 16.28% over the forecast period of 2020-2030 – Salamanca…

COVID-19: Responding to the business impacts of CRISPR And CRISPR-Associated (Cas) Genes Market 2019 Trends, Size, Segments, Emerging Technologies and…

Posted: at 12:52 am

A recent market study on the global CRISPR And CRISPR-Associated (Cas) Genes market reveals that the global CRISPR And CRISPR-Associated (Cas) Genes market is expected to reach a value of ~US$ XX by the end of 2029 growing at a CAGR of ~XX% during the forecast period (2019-2029).

The CRISPR And CRISPR-Associated (Cas) Genes market study includes a thorough analysis of the overall competitive landscape and the company profiles of leading market players involved in the global CRISPR And CRISPR-Associated (Cas) Genes market. Further, the presented study offers accurate insights pertaining to the different segments of the global CRISPR And CRISPR-Associated (Cas) Genes market such as the market share, value, revenue, and how each segment is expected to fair post the COVID-19 pandemic.

Get Free Sample PDF (including COVID19 Impact Analysis, full TOC, Tables and Figures) of Market Report @ https://www.marketresearchhub.com/enquiry.php?type=S&repid=2649968&source=atm

The following doubts are addressed in the market report:

Key Highlights of the CRISPR And CRISPR-Associated (Cas) Genes Market Report

The presented report segregates the CRISPR And CRISPR-Associated (Cas) Genes market into different segments to ensure the readers gain a complete understanding of the different aspects of the CRISPR And CRISPR-Associated (Cas) Genes market.

Do You Have Any Query Or Specific Requirement? Ask to Our Industry [emailprotected] https://www.marketresearchhub.com/enquiry.php?type=E&repid=2649968&source=atm

Segmentation of the CRISPR And CRISPR-Associated (Cas) Genes market

Competitive Outlook

This section of the report throws light on the recent mergers, collaborations, partnerships, and research and development activities within the CRISPR And CRISPR-Associated (Cas) Genes market on a global scale. Further, a detailed assessment of the pricing, marketing, and product development strategies adopted by leading market players is included in the CRISPR And CRISPR-Associated (Cas) Genes market report.

Sales and Pricing AnalysesReaders are provided with deeper sales analysis and pricing analysis for the global CRISPR And CRISPR-Associated (Cas) Genes market. As part of sales analysis, the report offers accurate statistics and figures for sales and revenue by region, by each type segment for the period 2015-2026.In the pricing analysis section of the report, readers are provided with validated statistics and figures for the price by players and price by region for the period 2015-2020 and price by each type segment for the period 2015-2020.Regional and Country-level AnalysisThe report offers an exhaustive geographical analysis of the global CRISPR And CRISPR-Associated (Cas) Genes market, covering important regions, viz, North America, Europe, China and Japan. It also covers key countries (regions), viz, U.S., Canada, Germany, France, U.K., Italy, Russia, China, Japan, South Korea, India, Australia, Taiwan, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam, Mexico, Brazil, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, UAE, etc.The report includes country-wise and region-wise market size for the period 2015-2026. It also includes market size and forecast by each application segment in terms of sales for the period 2015-2026.Competition AnalysisIn the competitive analysis section of the report, leading as well as prominent players of the global CRISPR And CRISPR-Associated (Cas) Genes market are broadly studied on the basis of key factors. The report offers comprehensive analysis and accurate statistics on sales by the player for the period 2015-2020. It also offers detailed analysis supported by reliable statistics on price and revenue (global level) by player for the period 2015-2020.On the whole, the report proves to be an effective tool that players can use to gain a competitive edge over their competitors and ensure lasting success in the global CRISPR And CRISPR-Associated (Cas) Genes market. All of the findings, data, and information provided in the report are validated and revalidated with the help of trustworthy sources. The analysts who have authored the report took a unique and industry-best research and analysis approach for an in-depth study of the global CRISPR And CRISPR-Associated (Cas) Genes market.The following manufacturers are covered in this report:Caribou BiosciencesAddgeneCRISPR THERAPEUTICSMerck KGaAMirus Bio LLCEditas MedicineTakara Bio USAThermo Fisher ScientificHorizon Discovery GroupIntellia TherapeuticsGE Healthcare DharmaconCRISPR And CRISPR-Associated (Cas) Genes Breakdown Data by TypeGenome EditingGenetic engineeringgRNA Database/Gene LibrarCRISPR PlasmidHuman Stem CellsGenetically Modified Organisms/CropsCell Line EngineeringCRISPR And CRISPR-Associated (Cas) Genes Breakdown Data by ApplicationBiotechnology CompaniesPharmaceutical CompaniesAcademic InstitutesResearch and Development Institutes

You can Buy This Report from Here @ https://www.marketresearchhub.com/checkout?rep_id=2649968&licType=S&source=atm

Read more from the original source:
COVID-19: Responding to the business impacts of CRISPR And CRISPR-Associated (Cas) Genes Market 2019 Trends, Size, Segments, Emerging Technologies and...

Posted in Genetic Engineering | Comments Off on COVID-19: Responding to the business impacts of CRISPR And CRISPR-Associated (Cas) Genes Market 2019 Trends, Size, Segments, Emerging Technologies and…

Astronauts can change DNA for the colonization of Mars – The Times Hub

Posted: at 12:51 am

Astrobiologist Kendi Lynch spoke about the original problem of the colonization of Mars by humans. Astronauts can change DNA to adapt to life on the red planet.

In 2030, NASA plans to begin the first phase of the colonization of Mars. However, the journey to the red planet itself and breaking it can be overwhelming for the average person. To cope with this problem, the researchers plan to alter the DNA of the astronauts, making them more resilient. All crew members will transfer experiments on himself, because only some people will stay on Mars and the main group will return to the Earth. Experts on genetic engineering has already begun to conduct experiments on human cells. To increase their stamina scientists have introduced genes in the DNA of tardigrades, the most resilient beings on the planet. In the result cells promoted radiation resistance and could continue to properly perform its functions.

Such experiments will allow to make a man able not only to live on Mars, but also to have children. Kendi Lynch is confident that the technology can be applied in practice, if the scientists guarantee the safety of astronauts.

Read the rest here:
Astronauts can change DNA for the colonization of Mars - The Times Hub

Posted in Genetic Engineering | Comments Off on Astronauts can change DNA for the colonization of Mars – The Times Hub

Potential impact of coronavirus outbreak on Zinc Finger Nuclease Technology Market: Opportunities and Forecast Assessment, 2019-2027 – Jewish Life…

Posted: at 12:51 am

Global Zinc Finger Nuclease Technology Market Growth Projection

The new report on the global Zinc Finger Nuclease Technology market is an extensive study on the overall prospects of the Zinc Finger Nuclease Technology market over the assessment period. Further, the report provides a thorough understanding of the key dynamics of the Zinc Finger Nuclease Technology market including the current trends, opportunities, drivers, and restraints. The report introspects the micro and macro-economic factors that are expected to nurture the growth of the Zinc Finger Nuclease Technology market in the upcoming years and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Zinc Finger Nuclease Technology . In addition, the report offers valuable insights pertaining to the supply chain challenges market players are likely to face in the upcoming months and solutions to tackle the same.

The report suggests that the global Zinc Finger Nuclease Technology market is projected to reach a value of ~US$XX by the end of 2029 and grow at a CAGR of ~XX% through the forecast period (2019-2029). The key indicators such as the year-on-year (Y-o-Y) growth and CAGR growth of the Zinc Finger Nuclease Technology market are discussed in detail in the presented report. This data is likely to provide readers an understanding of qualitative and quantitative growth prospects of the Zinc Finger Nuclease Technology market over the considered assessment period.

Get Free Sample PDF (including COVID19 Impact Analysis, full TOC, Tables and Figures) of Market Report @ https://www.researchmoz.com/enquiry.php?type=S&repid=2667007&source=atm

The report clarifies the following doubts related to the Zinc Finger Nuclease Technology market:

Do You Have Any Query Or Specific Requirement? Ask to Our Industry [emailprotected] https://www.researchmoz.com/enquiry.php?type=E&repid=2667007&source=atm

Segmentation of the Zinc Finger Nuclease Technology Market

Regional and Country-level AnalysisThe report offers an exhaustive geographical analysis of the global Zinc Finger Nuclease Technology market, covering important regions, viz, North America, Europe, China, Japan, Southeast Asia, India and Central & South America. It also covers key countries (regions), viz, U.S., Canada, Germany, France, U.K., Italy, Russia, China, Japan, South Korea, India, Australia, Taiwan, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam, Mexico, Brazil, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, U.A.E, etc.The report includes country-wise and region-wise market size for the period 2015-2026. It also includes market size and forecast by each application segment in terms of revenue for the period 2015-2026.Competition AnalysisIn the competitive analysis section of the report, leading as well as prominent players of the global Zinc Finger Nuclease Technology market are broadly studied on the basis of key factors. The report offers comprehensive analysis and accurate statistics on revenue by the player for the period 2015-2020. It also offers detailed analysis supported by reliable statistics on price and revenue (global level) by player for the period 2015-2020.On the whole, the report proves to be an effective tool that players can use to gain a competitive edge over their competitors and ensure lasting success in the global Zinc Finger Nuclease Technology market. All of the findings, data, and information provided in the report are validated and revalidated with the help of trustworthy sources. The analysts who have authored the report took a unique and industry-best research and analysis approach for an in-depth study of the global Zinc Finger Nuclease Technology market.The following players are covered in this report:Sigma-AldrichSangamo TherapeuticsLabomicsThermo Fisher ScientificGileadZinc Finger Nuclease Technology Breakdown Data by TypeCell Line EngineeringAnimal Genetic EngineeringPlant Genetic EngineeringOtherZinc Finger Nuclease Technology Breakdown Data by ApplicationBiotechnology CompaniesPharmaceutical CompaniesHospital Laboratory and Diagnostic LaboratoryAcademic and Research InstitutesOthers

You can Buy This Report from Here @ https://www.researchmoz.com/checkout?rep_id=2667007&licType=S&source=atm

Vital Information Enclosed in the Report

Read the original here:
Potential impact of coronavirus outbreak on Zinc Finger Nuclease Technology Market: Opportunities and Forecast Assessment, 2019-2027 - Jewish Life...

Posted in Genetic Engineering | Comments Off on Potential impact of coronavirus outbreak on Zinc Finger Nuclease Technology Market: Opportunities and Forecast Assessment, 2019-2027 – Jewish Life…

Genes linked to evolution of languages – Cosmos

Posted: at 12:51 am

If you say ma in Mandarin, you could be saying mother, hemp, horse or scold, depending purely on your pitch.

This so-called lexical tone is used in around half the worlds languages, including Thai and Cantonese, yet tones are meaningless in other languages such as English.

A new study, published in the journal Science Advances, suggests that subtle genetic differences play a role in how these language differences evolve.

More than 7000 languages are spoken around the world, with a diverse range of features including click consonants, whistling, variable word order and use of sound to convey meaning. Yet, little is known about what drives these differences.

Population studies have suggested genetic diversity could shape language; for instance, people in countries of sub-Saharan Africa and East and Southeast Asia with tone languages are more likely to have certain genes, but as yet there has been no direct evidence.

To investigate the role of gene expression in pitch perception ability, Patrick Wong, from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and colleagues recruited 400 adult native Cantonese speakers aged 18 to 27.

The volunteers performed a range of tasks related to lexical tone, rhythm and pitch in music and general cognition, to control for musical backgrounds and education, and provided saliva samples for genetic testing.

Results showed that around 70% of participants had a pair of T alleles representing the TT genotype of the ASPM gene, which was previously found to be more prevalent in countries with tone languages

It has also been associated with the auditory cortex, and individuals with the gene had higher tone perception ability.

Those with a different genotype were less proficient with Cantonese tones, but not with other aspects of language or cognitive functions, confirming that the identified genotype is likely associated with tonal ability.

The researchers note that other genes are likely to be involved, but the study opens doors to explore further genetic underpinnings of language evolution.

The finding could have clinical applications; for instance, tone perception is a key marker for communication disorders in Chinese speakers.

Intriguingly, previous research by Wongs team found that tone perception was strongly associated with musical training, and in the present study, musical ability did improve tonal ability in individuals without the ASPM genotype.

This aligns with other work by the group that found native English-speaking adults with a musical background were better at learning a tone language.

So, if you do want to visit Asia, musical training might help avoid embarrassing mispronunciations.

See the original post here:
Genes linked to evolution of languages - Cosmos

Posted in Genetic Engineering | Comments Off on Genes linked to evolution of languages – Cosmos

Global Food Enzymes Market (2020 to 2025) – Recent Innovations in the Market – GlobeNewswire

Posted: at 12:51 am

Dublin, May 26, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Food Enzymes Market - Forecast (2020 - 2025)" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The food enzymes market is bifurcated by type into variants such as carbohydrates, lipases, and proteases. Innovation has enabled the players to exploit several end-user industries such as bakery, dairy, beverages, meat products, and confectionery, consequently triggering the opportunities in the food enzymes market to be progressing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.90% during the forecast period 2019-2025.

The base year of the study is 2018, with forecast done up to 2025. The study presents a thorough analysis of the competitive landscape, taking into account the market shares of the leading companies. It also provides information on unit shipments. These provide the key market participants with the necessary business intelligence and help them understand the future of the food enzyme market. The assessment includes the forecast, an overview of the competitive structure, the market shares of the competitors, as well as the market trends, market demands, market drivers, market challenges, and product analysis.

The market drivers and restraints have been assessed to fathom their impact over the forecast period. This report further identifies the key opportunities for growth while also detailing the key challenges and possible threats. The key areas of focus include the various types of application industry in global food enzyme market, and their specific advantages.

The booming trend of fast-food in North America has augmented the trade of cheese, indirectly impacting the market of protease food enzyme. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2016, one out of three Americans (36%) consumed a meal at fast-food eateries on any given day. Some of the leading fast-food chains across the U.S are McDonald's, KFC, Pizza Hut, Domino's Pizza and Burger Kings. Application of cheese in these F&B giants can be indicated by the fact that Leprino Foods, a leading market player, often rated as America's all-time monopolist, manages to converge an annual revenue of $3 billion by supplying mozzarella cheese to Pizza Hut, Domino's, and Papa John's

Similarly, McDonald's for their buns claims to apply enzymes such as amylases. And KFC, the world's most popular chicken restaurant chain is now operating in 135 countries with more than 22,000 restaurants globally. Hence, the trend of processed food supplemented by retail outlets in North America is projecting the food enzyme market towards exponential growth.

Food Enzymes Market Trends and Growth Drivers:

Some of the key players operating in the global food enzyme market are Royal DSM N.V, EI DuPont DE Nemours & Co., Novozymes A/S, Chr Hansen A/S, Biocatalyst limited, AB enzymes GMBH, Kerry group PLCAum Enzymes, Amano Enzyme Inc., and Enmex SA DE CV.

Key Questions Addressed in the Food Enzyme Market Report

A few focus points of this Research are given below:

Key Topics Covered:

1. Food Enzymes Market - Overview1.1. Definitions and Scope

2. Food Enzymes Market - Executive summary2.1. Market Revenue, Market Size and Key Trends by Company2.2. Key Trends by type of Application2.3. Key Trends segmented by Geography

3. Food Enzymes Market 3.1. Comparative analysis3.1.1. Product Benchmarking - Top 10 companies3.1.2. Top 5 Financials Analysis3.1.3. Market Value split by Top 10 companies3.1.4. Patent Analysis - Top 10 companies3.1.5. Pricing Analysis

4. Food Enzymes Market Forces4.1. Drivers4.2. Constraints4.3. Challenges4.4. Porters five force model4.4.1. Bargaining power of suppliers4.4.2. Bargaining powers of customers4.4.3. Threat of new entrants4.4.4. Rivalry among existing players4.4.5. Threat of substitutes

5. Food Enzymes Market -Strategic analysis5.1. Value chain analysis5.2. Opportunities analysis5.3. Product life cycle5.4. Suppliers and distributors Market Share

6. Food Enzymes Market - By Type (Market Size -$Million / $Billion)6.1. Market Size and Market Share Analysis 6.2. Application Revenue and Trend Research6.3. Product Segment Analysis6.3.1. Introduction6.3.2. Amylases6.3.3. Catalases6.3.4. Lactases6.3.5. Proteases6.3.6. Lipases6.3.7. Rennet6.3.8. Cellulase6.3.9. Others (Actinidin, Bromelain, Ficin, Lypoxygenase, Invertase, Raffinase & Others)

7. Food Enzymes Market - By Source (Market Size -$Million / $Billion)7.1. Introduction 7.2. Plant-Based Enzymes7.3. Animal-Based Enzymes7.4. Microorganism-Based Enzymes7.4.1. Bacterial7.4.2. Fungal7.4.3. Yeast

8. Food Enzymes Market - By Application (Market Size -$Million / $Billion)8.1. Introduction 8.1.1. Bakery8.1.1.1. Bread8.1.1.2. Cakes8.1.1.3. Crackers & Cookies8.1.2. Dairy 8.1.3. Beverages8.1.4. Meat Products8.1.5. Confectionery8.1.6. Fruits & Vegetables Processing8.1.7. Oil & Fats8.1.8. Starch Processing8.1.9. Inulin & Others

9. Food Enzymes - By Geography (Market Size -$Million / $Billion)9.1. Food Enzymes Market - North America Segment Research9.2. North America Market Research (Million / $Billion)9.2.1. Segment type Size and Market Size Analysis 9.2.2. Revenue and Trends9.2.3. Application Revenue and Trends by type of Application9.2.4. Company Revenue and Product Analysis9.2.5. North America Product type and Application Market Size9.2.5.1. U.S.9.2.5.2. Canada 9.2.5.3. Mexico 9.2.5.4. Rest of North America9.3. Food Enzymes - South America Segment Research9.4. South America Market Research (Market Size -$Million / $Billion)9.4.1. Segment type Size and Market Size Analysis 9.4.2. Revenue and Trends9.4.3. Application Revenue and Trends by type of Application9.4.4. Company Revenue and Product Analysis9.4.5. South America Product type and Application Market Size9.4.5.1. Brazil 9.4.5.2. Venezuela9.4.5.3. Argentina9.4.5.4. Ecuador9.4.5.5. Peru9.4.5.6. Colombia 9.4.5.7. Costa Rica9.4.5.8. Rest of South America9.5. Food Enzymes - Europe Segment Research9.6. Europe Market Research (Market Size -$Million / $Billion)9.6.1. Segment type Size and Market Size Analysis 9.6.2. Revenue and Trends9.6.3. Application Revenue and Trends by type of Application9.6.4. Company Revenue and Product Analysis9.6.5. Europe Segment Product type and Application Market Size9.6.5.1. U.K 9.6.5.2. Germany 9.6.5.3. Italy 9.6.5.4. France9.6.5.5. Netherlands9.6.5.6. Belgium9.6.5.7. Spain9.6.5.8. Denmark9.6.5.9. Rest of Europe9.7. Food Enzymes - APAC Segment Research9.8. APAC Market Research (Market Size -$Million / $Billion)9.8.1. Segment type Size and Market Size Analysis 9.8.2. Revenue and Trends9.8.3. Application Revenue and Trends by type of Application9.8.4. Company Revenue and Product Analysis9.8.5. APAC Segment - Product type and Application Market Size9.8.5.1. China 9.8.5.2. Australia9.8.5.3. Japan 9.8.5.4. South Korea9.8.5.5. India9.8.5.6. Taiwan9.8.5.7. Malaysia

10. Food Enzymes Market - Entropy10.1. New product launches10.2. M&A's, collaborations, JVs and partnerships

11. Food Enzymes Market Company Analysis11.1. Market Share, Company Revenue, Products, M&A, Developments11.2. Royal DSM N.V11.3. EI DuPont DE Nemours & Co11.4. Novozymes A/S11.5. Biocatalyst limited11.6. AB enzymes GMBH11.7. Kerry group PLC

12. Food Enzymes Market -Appendix12.1. Abbreviations12.2. Sources

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/ujmz9s

Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research.

More here:
Global Food Enzymes Market (2020 to 2025) - Recent Innovations in the Market - GlobeNewswire

Posted in Genetic Engineering | Comments Off on Global Food Enzymes Market (2020 to 2025) – Recent Innovations in the Market – GlobeNewswire

Transhumanism: Meet the cyborgs and biohackers redefining beauty – CNN

Posted: at 12:46 am

Written by Karina Tsui, CNN

Today, we can alter our bodies in previously unimaginable ways, whether that's implanting microchips, fitting advanced prosthetic limbs or even designing entirely new senses.

So-called transhumanists -- people who seek to improve their biology by enhancing their bodies with technology -- believe that our natural condition inhibits our experience of the world, and that we can transcend our current capabilities through science.

Ideas that are "technoprogressive" to some are controversial to others. But to photographer David Vintiner, they are something else altogether: beautiful.

Made in collaboration with art director and critic Gem Fletcher, the book features a variety of people who identify, to some degree, as "transhuman" -- including a man with bionic ears that sense changes in atmospheric pressure, a woman who can "feel" earthquakes taking place around the world and technicians who have developed lab-made organs.

Fletcher was first introduced to the transhumanist subculture via the London Futurist Group, an organization that explores how technology can counter future crises. Upon meeting some of its members, the London-based art director approached Vintiner with the idea of photographing them in a series of portraits.

"Our first shoot was with Andrew Vladimirov, a DIY 'brain hacker,'" Vintiner recalled in a phone interview. "Each time we photographed someone new, we asked for referrals and introductions to other key people within the movement."

Redefining human experience

One of Vintiner's subjects, James Young, turned to bionics after losing his arm and leg in an accident in 2012. Young had always been interested in biotechnology and was particularly drawn to the aesthetics of science fiction. Visualizing how his body could be "re-built," or even perform enhanced tasks with the help of the latest technology, became part of his recovery process.

But according to the 29-year-old, the options presented to him by doctors were far from exciting -- standard-issue steel bionic limbs with flesh-colored silicone sleeves.

"To see what was available was the most upsetting part," Young said in a video interview.

"What the human body can constitute, in terms of tools and technology, is such a blurry thing -- if you think about the arm, it's just a sensory piece of equipment.

"If there was anyone who would get their arm and leg chopped off, it would be me because I'm excited about technology and what it can get done."

Japanese gaming giant Konami worked with prosthetics sculptor Sophie de Oliveira Barata to design a set of bionic limbs for Young. The result was an arm and leg made from gray carbon fiber -- an aesthetic partly inspired by Konami's "Metal Gear Solid," one of the then-22-year-old's favorite video games.

Beyond the expected functions, Young's robotic arm features a USB port, a screen displaying his Twitter feed and a retractable dock containing a remote-controlled drone. The limbs are controlled by sensors that convert nerve impulses from Young's spine into physical movements.

"Advanced prosthetics enabled James to change people's perception of (his) disability," said Vintiner of Young, adding: "When you first show people the photographs, they are shocked and disconcerted by the ideas contained within. But if you dissect the ideas, they realize that they are very pragmatic."

Young says it has taken several years for people to appreciate not just the functions of advanced bionic limbs but their aesthetics, too. "Bionic and electronic limbs were deemed scary, purely because of how they looked," he said. "They coincided with the idea that 'disability is not sexy.'"

He also felt there was stigma surrounding bionics, because patients were often given flesh-colored sleeves to conceal their artificial limbs.

"Visually, we think that this is the boundary of the human body," Young said, referring to his remaining biological arm. "Opportunities for transhumanists open up because a bionic arm can't feel pain, or it can be instantly replaced if you have the money. It has different abilities to withstand heat and to not be sunburned."

As Vintiner continued shooting the portraits, he felt many of his preconceptions being challenged. The process also raised a profound question: If technology can change what it is to be human, can it also change what it means to be beautiful?

"Most of my (original) work centers around people -- their behavior, character, quirks and stories," he said. "But this project took the concept of beauty to another level."

Eye of the beholder

Science's impact over our understanding of aesthetics is, to Vintiner, one of the most fascinating aspects of transhumanism. What he discovered, however, was that many in the movement still look toward existing beauty standards as a model for "post-human" perfection.

Speaking to CNN Style in 2018, Hanson said that Sophia's form would resonate with people around the world, and that her appearance was partly inspired by real women including Hanson's wife and Audrey Hepburn, as well as statues of the Egyptian queen Nefertiti.

Related video: Meet Sophia, the robot who smiles and frowns just like us

But with her light hazel eyes, perfectly arched eyebrows, long eyelashes, defined cheekbones and plump lips -- Sophia's appearance arguably epitomizes that of a conventionally beautiful Caucasian woman.

"When I photographed Ben Goertzel, he vocalized how he took no time to consider how he (himself) looked -- it was of no interest to him," the photographer recalled of the photo shoot.

Vintiner saw a certain irony: that someone who was unconcerned about his own appearance would nonetheless project our preoccupation with beauty through his company's invention.

It also served as a reminder that attractiveness may be more complex than algorithms can ever fathom.

"I fear that if we can design humans without any of the 'flaws' that occur in our biological makeup, things will be pushed further and further towards a level of perfection we can only imagine right now." Vintiner said. "Look at how plastic surgery has altered our perception of beauty in a very short space of time.

"If the transhumanists are right and we, as humans, can live to be several hundreds of years old, our notion of beauty and the very meaning of what it is to be human will change dramatically."

The rest is here:
Transhumanism: Meet the cyborgs and biohackers redefining beauty - CNN

Posted in Transhuman News | Comments Off on Transhumanism: Meet the cyborgs and biohackers redefining beauty – CNN

We Watched the Libertarian Party Vice Presidential Debate So You Didn’t Have To – Reason

Posted: May 27, 2020 at 6:45 pm

Three leading contenders for the Libertarian Party (L.P.) vice presidential nomination debated remotely Thursday night, moderated by old party hand Jim Turney.

Larry Sharpe was a close runner-up for the V.P. nod in 2016, getting nearly 47 percent on the second ballot against winner William Weld, the former Republican governor of Massachusetts. Though the party's delegates choose president and vice president via separate votes, Sharpe has been linking himself with Judge James Gray, one of the presidential candidates. Sharpe stressed their ticket's focus on helping party growth and down-ticket candidates in his opening statements.

Spike Cohen, who emphasized his decades of business experience and currently runs Muddied Waters Media, has linked himself to presidential hopeful Vermin Supreme. He did not, however, stress this during the debate, though, the way Sharpe did with Gray.

Ken Armstong is a former NATO base commander in Italy as well as a former Alaskan pipeline worker.

The candidates were mostly asked how they would message and campaign. Cohen noted his media ability to reach millions of Americans in an entertaining, engaging matter that focuses on libertarian fundamentals of self-ownership and non-aggression. He says he's been successful going door-to-door and talking to people all over, from college campuses to housing projects, showing them how the system of government control is designed to fail the people while helping those in power and their connected pals. He says Americans acutely understand, due to this pandemic, that something is seriously wrong with the status quo and that his "empathetic, sympathetic" approach that tries to drill in on people's problems and offer libertarian solutions will work best. Cohen sums up his message as: "You own yourself, your life, your body and your labor and your property, and we stand alongside you against anyone who tries to take it from you."

Armstrong said he's been on the road campaigning for a year already, and proudly noted his endorsement by the Libertarian Pragmatist Caucus. He thinks the bad example of government tyranny and failure in the pandemic means "you don't need to do much convincing" this year to show people government is not the solution.

Sharpe suggested his experience as an executive coach and Libertarian candidate for governor of New York in 2018 gives him the ability to sell libertarianism as something "radical enough to make people go, 'Hmm,' but at the same time familiar enough to go, 'Oh yeah, that's not so crazy, I can say "Yes."'" He was proud of discussing marijuana legalization in terms of, "regulate cannabis like onions," to make legalization feel both radical but familiar and doable. He mentioned his first attraction to libertarian ideas was through business writer Robert Ringer, but his attachment to the party came through Gary Johnson's 2012 campaign.

Cohen said his experience running a business and seeing how regulations and taxes make it harder every step of the way for business owners, employees, and customers turned him from his neoconservative past. He then fell deep into libertarian scripture due to works like Frederic Bastiat's The Law and Lysander Spooner'sNo Treason.

Armstrong cheekily credits the Democratic Party in Hawaii, which he used to work with, for turning on him over his objection to a tax increase and pushing him toward the L.P. He thinks his life experience as someone who had worked with both minimum wage workers and people at the highest level of government will give him wide appeal.

Sharpe, who is African-American, stresses that his preferred presidential choiceformer California Superior Court Judge James Grayis someone who people will "listen to [even though he's] being different because he looks similar," then proudly noted how well he'd navigated the thorny question of minority representation in the ticket. "See how I spun this? I'm good at this. This is why I should" get the vice presidential nod. Sharpe also says he learned from his gubernatorial run that money is even more vital than he knew if the ticket expects to be polled or get national media attention.

They were all pro-immigration, with Armstrong discussing, as a short-term goal, a free-trade zone funded by businesses along the U.S.-Mexican border. While all agreed on retreating from overseas commitments, Armstrong stressed that we needed to do so gradually because of the bad effects a swift pullout might have, like in Okinawa, Japan, where our presence has been relied on for so long. Cohen was more emotionally charged in his attack on the system of intervention that has cost so many lives and so much treasure.

Sharpe emphasized that a Gray/Sharpe ticket would do the most for down-ticket L.P. candidate support. He said he believes the only realistic chance Gray has of winning the presidency is if the election goes to the House of Representatives because no one candidate gets an electoral college majority, which would sadly mean that he, Sharpe, would have no chance of actually becoming vice president. That's because the Senate, who would make that pick if that happens, is required by law to choose from among the top two actual vote-getters. (The House can pick from the top three for president.) Armstrong strongly insisted the L.P. ticket must run as if it could (and would) straight-up win the election.

The Libertarian Party will have delegates chosen by its state parties selecting its presidential ticket in an online convention this weekend. The president is chosen first, starting Saturday, with the vice presidential vote scheduled for Sunday.

More here:
We Watched the Libertarian Party Vice Presidential Debate So You Didn't Have To - Reason

Posted in Libertarianism | Comments Off on We Watched the Libertarian Party Vice Presidential Debate So You Didn’t Have To – Reason

That Time the Libertarian Party Debated the Private Ownership of Nuclear Weapons – Reason

Posted: at 6:45 pm

The Libertarian Party plans to choose its presidential nominee tomorrow. The process will take place online, thanks to the coronavirus, so this weekend C-SPAN addicts will be denied the pleasure of watching live as delegates meet in person to discuss the finer points of their platform.

Fortunately, C-SPAN's website includes hundreds of hours of old programming. And deep in those archives, you'll find one of the more entertaining blips in Libertarian Party history: a debate over whether the law should allow the private ownership of nuclear weapons.

I can't embed the video, but you can view it here. It was shot in Chicago in 1991, at the convention that picked the former Alaska state legislator Andre Marrou as the Libertarian candidate for president. (In those days, the Libertarian Party nominated its slate a year before the major parties did.) The delegates were considering a revamped version of the platform's anti-gun-control plank, and the debate had mostly dealt with minor matters of how certain sentences should be worded. Then a fellow from New Hampshire rose to propose an amendment: "We advocate the right of all private citizens to own any weapon or device which any government agency possesses."

The crowd greeted this with a mixture of applause and laughter. Someone seconded it, and then the formal debate began.

At one end of the spectrum was an Indiana delegate who felt that "given the current statethe police stateit makes no sense" for the federal government to have better weapons than the taxpayers. At the other end was Ed Clark, the party's presidential nominee in 1980, who argued that civilized people should favor the abolition of nuclear weapons, not their more widespread ownership. One man made the rather reasonable point that there's a difference between weapons that can be targeted at specific aggressors and weapons that by their nature hurt innocent civilians. Some folks didn't bother weighing in on whether the plank was philosophically sound, instead pointing out that the party's candidates would probably prefer not to deal with press queries about private nukes.

But the key moment of the debatethe comment that seemed to sum up thousands of intra-libertarian ideological battlescame about two minutes into the discussion, when a delegate rose to speak in favor of the amendment. "I think it's an absolutely abhorrent idea," he said, "but it is consistent."

The economist Clifford Thies eventually found a way to split the baby, offering some substitute language calibrated to appeal both to voters who dreamed of owning their own WMDs and voters who would ban the bomb: "Any weapon denied individuals should likewise be denied governments." This attracted some opposition from a delegate who felt it implied support for unilateral disarmament, but the assembled body liked it enough to make it, rather than the original amendment, the language being considered by the floor.

And then, having defeated the first proposal, they voted down Thies's replacement as well. The finished platform did not address the private ownership of nukes and nerve gas. That's the Libertarian Party for you: not radical enough to please the purists, but still willing to put them on national television.

(For past editions of the Friday A/V Club, go here.)

The rest is here:
That Time the Libertarian Party Debated the Private Ownership of Nuclear Weapons - Reason

Posted in Libertarianism | Comments Off on That Time the Libertarian Party Debated the Private Ownership of Nuclear Weapons – Reason

Page 1,276«..1020..1,2751,2761,2771,278..1,2901,300..»