Biology Is Life !

• Woman has twins from 13-year-old frozen sperm
  Twin boys were born using the sperm taken from a man, then 23, who was diagnosed with testicular cancer and told chemotherapy could make him infertile.
• Frozen mice cloned - are woolly mammoths next?
  Japanese scientists have produced clones of mice that were dead and frozen for 16 years. Researchers hope the feat will allow them to resurrect previously extinct species, such as the mammoth. Globally, there are several cloning programs that aim to increase the size of rapidly-dwindling populations of endangered species such as African wildcats.
• Cloning From the Frozen Dead
  Cryonics often summons images of baseball legend Ted Williams, who was controversially frozen at the Alcor Life Extension Foundation in Arizona by his children, in hopes of reviving him with future scientific advances. However it is usually done to clone prized livestock.
• Child Born Two Years After Father's Death Not His Dependent
  The father passed away in July 2001 while on the job. His widow gave birth to a baby boy in March 2003. The mother is suing the Social Security Administration in federal court over its denial of child insurance benefits for her son. The Social Security Commission said the child was not entitled to the benefits because, in the absence of a will, he was not his father's legal heir.
• Insurance policy: Troops freezing sperm
  Troops say having their sperm frozen gives them peace of mind in case of death or infertility.

Blog entry for the week:

1. Take a stand. In a minimum of five complete sentences, explain how you feel about the use of cryonics.
2. Support your opinion with a link.
3. Choose one of the links above and describe how you think it is an appropriate or inappropriate use of the technology.
4. After watching the video… How would you rule? Is the child entitled to benefits from her father?