"Over the years the unthinkable hasbecome thinkable and today we sense we are close to being able to alter humanheredity œ#)." These were the words of David Baltimore of the CaliforniaInstitute of Technology, on December 1st, when he opened a three-day meeting inWashington to discuss the morality and use of human gene editing. Dr Baltimoreis an old hand at these sorts of discussions, for he was also a participant inthe Asilomar conference, in 1975, which brought scientists together to discussa safe way of using the then-new tcchnology of recombinant DNA, and whoserecommendations influenced a generation of biotechnology researchers.

Four decades on, the need for a similarsort of chin-wag has arisen. The InternationalSummit on Human Gene Editing has been held by the national scientific academiesof three countries — America, Britain and China. They are particularlyconcerned about whether gene editing should be used to make heritable changesto the human germ line, something Dr Baltimore described as a deep andtroubling question. Like those of Asilomar, the conclusions of this meetingwill not be binding. But the hope is that, again like Asilomar, a mixture ofcommon sense and peer pressure will create a world in which scientists aretrusted to regulate themselves, rather than having politicians and civilservants do it for them. The meeting is being held against a backdrop of rapidscientific advance, Since 2012 research into a new, easy-to-use editing tool calledCRISPR-Cas9 has blossomed. This technique involves a piece of RNA (a chemicalmessenger, which can be used to recognise a target section of DNA) and anenzyme (酶)called a nuclease that can snip unwanted genes out and paste new ones in.

Public interest was aroused in April,when Chinese scientists announced they had edited genes in non-viable ( 无活力的) humanembryos, and again in November when British researchers said they hadsuccessfully treated a one-year-old girl who had leukaemia ( 白血病),using gene-edited T-cells. T-cells are part of the immune system that attack,among other things, tumour cells. The researchers altered T-cells from ahealthy donor to encourage them to recognise and kill the patient's cancer, tomake them immune to her leukaemia drug, and to ensure they did not attack herhealthy cells.

In another recent development, a firmcalled Edit as Medicine, which is based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, has saidit hopes, in 2017, to start human clinical trials of CRISPR-Cas9 as a treatmentfor a rare genetic form of blindness known as Leber congenital amaurosis (伯氏先天性黑蒙).Though other companies are already testing gene-editing therapies, these employolder, clunkier forms of the technology that seem likely to have lesscommercial potential. Moreover, researchers at the Broad Institute, also inCambridge, said this week that they had made changes to CRISPR-Cas9 whichgreatly reduce the rate of editing errors — one of the main obstacles to thetechnique's medical use.

On the subject of germ-line editing,Eric Lander, the Broad's head, told the meeting it would be useful only in rarecases and said it might be a good idea to "exercise caution? before makingpermanent changes to the gene pool. The need for caution is advice that mightalso be heeded by those pursuing work in animals other than people, and inplants — subjects not being covered by the summit.

                                                                                   Growing Up in Australia

    Since 2004, Australia has been holding its largest study of children's health ever. This project, “Growing Up in Australia,” is following two groups of children from early childhood until they become adults. The project is being supported by the Australian government and involves hundreds of researchers visiting the homes of 10,000 children. Researchers hope to find a relationship between the children's future behavior and their health, education, and family environments.

    When the study began, the first group of children was aged 0-1, while the second group was aged 4-5. In order to make sure that children from every kind of environment and background were chosen, the study found volunteers from each area. Some volunteers are in the countryside, while others are in big cities. The volunteers for both groups were chosen from a variety of different social and ethnic (种族) backgrounds.

    The researchers visit the participants' (参与者) homes every two years to gather information. They interview the parents about parenting styles and the child's daily activities. They also take measurements of the children's health and how well the children perform in school. The researchers also collect information such as the income of the child's family, the school the child attends, and the kind of community (社区) in which the child lives. They plan to use the information to improve children's lives.

    Researchers have already begun to publish some interesting results. For instance, after examining information from the second group of children when they were 10-11 years old, researchers found that children who spend a lot of time doing organized activities, such as music lessons or sports, have good control of their emotions and behavior. The study also found that they are able to complete their homework without their parents around. On the other hand, it found that children who watch a lot of television get upset easily and have worse behavior. The Australian government is now using this information to make better educational and health policies for Australian children.

    Everybody should have some level of first aid ability, because accidents and medical emergencies can happen anywhere at any time. St John First Aid courses give you the knowledge and confidence to provide effective first aid whenever it's needed.

First Aid Level 1

    Ideal(理想的) for anyone who wants to learn basic first aid or needs to renew their first aid qualification. Courses can be held at St John or your workplace.

Fee: $162(includes GST)

Duration(持续时间): Eight hours

First Aid Level 2

    Includes all course content from First Aid Level One, plus an additional half day. Ideal for special first aiders, health and safety managers and anyone who needs a first aid qualification.

Fee: $235(includes GST)

Duration: 12 hours

Pre-Hospital Emergency Care (PHEC)

    Advanced training for first aiders who already hold unit standards 6400 and 6402. Ideal for people who require advanced first aid skills or a pre-hospital emergency care (PHEC) qualification for their work.

Fee: $635(includes GST)

Duration: Three days

Child First Aid

    Ideal for parents, grandparents and other family caregivers. A recognized qualification for childcare workers.

Fee: $65(includes GST)

Duration: Four hours

Outdoor First Aid

    First aid response for accidents and medical emergencies in the wilderness. For groups of eight or more.

Duration: One to two days depending on experience

Sports First Aid

    First aid response for common sporting injuries and medical emergencies. Includes ACC injury prevention advice.

Duration: Eight hours.

Planning Your Family Trip

    Plan ahead to make your family trip run smoothly. Family vacations are cherished memories. Keeping children entertained on the road or during a flight, however, can be challenging. The best way to cut down on anxiety? Plan ahead.

    Avoid giving children snacks that contain sugar and caffeine. Sweet treats keep them happy and quiet for five minutes, as it fills them with unusable energy that will turn into crankiness (偏执) when the sugar wears off. Bring fun, small snacks like flavored baked chips, apple sauce, raisins, and granola bars—and top it off with a little protein like cheese sticks to keep the blood sugar levels nice and steady.

    Bring plenty of plastic or paper bags. This is the perfect time to put those spare bags around the house to use. Store them in your purse or pocket, as well as in the car. This is a quick solution for garbage, diaper wrapping or motion sickness.

    Avoid extra costs on bulk items you will need during the trip. When flying, purchase bulk items like diapers, formula, and wipes at your destination. In the past, it was convenient and free to check these items. Now, each checked luggage item costs $25 or more on average. When driving, do the opposite; take your bulk items to avoid extra trips to the store when you arrive, which can help you avoid impulse travel purchases.

    Bring a full change of clothing for each child. Keep these items within fairly easy reach. When a spill or mess happens, this will help parents avoid unexpected (and unbudgeted) clothing purchases.

    Travel planning can help make family vacations what they are supposed to be: Fun! What are some of your favorite strategies for saving time and stress while traveling with children?

    Consumer electronics once again topped the list of the most wanted gifts this holiday season.

    "Seventy-six percent of consumers who plan to buy holiday gifts say that they will spend money or buy at least one technology product; definitely a solid vote of confidence for technology."

    Steve Koenig is with the Consumer Electronics Association. He says the group's latest research also shows that Americans this year are spending more on technology products. "Here in 2012, $252 on average the technology spend for consumers this year."

    From tablet computers to smart phones, American shoppers have been lining up to get the newest and coolest electronic devices on the market. There are more choices today than ever before. "It's kind of hard to make a decision."

    Tablet computers are one of the best-selling products this year. Brian Tong is Senior Editor of CNET.com. The website reports on tech news and examines the latest electronic products. He says the Apple iPad Mini is one of the most popular tablets. Its starting price is $329. One of Apple's biggest competitors is the Google Nexus 7. It starts at $199.

    "Its hardware is more powerful than what's in the iPad Mini, but also it offers you a lot of things like maps that work better than Apple's maps.

    But Brian Tong says there is one reason why people may like the iPad Mini more than the Nexus 7. "If you just want to read books and surf the Internet, you don't really need to get an iPad Mini, but if you want the largest robust group of apps (应用软件) that's where the iPad and Apple's ecosystem shines the most."

    Elman Chacon is with the electronics store Best Buy. He says another hot product this season is smart cameras. They connect to the Internet through Wi-Fi. This makes it easy for users to email or upload photographs directly from the camera." You can literally take a picture and upload it into your Facebook in a matter of seconds. These things are pretty cool because they do a lot of things."

    Streaming media boxes also connect to the Internet. People are able to watch web content such as movies and YouTube videos on their televisions. Another popular item is wireless speaker systems. The newest ones work with any device that has Bluetooth technology, including smart phones, laptops and tablets.

    Shukri Noor, 12, arrived in Anchorage, Alaska, one year ago. The sixth grader and her family are refugees (难民) from Kenya. "Since I didn't speak English, it was hard to communicate with others," Shukri said. "I had no friends."

    "Anchorage receives about 130 refugees every year. Most are from Somalia. The rest come from Iraq, Sudan, Cuba, Central America, and other places. Like Shukri, many of the kids feel alone. They're dealing with a lot of adjustments (适应)," Katie Bisson says. She manages to support for newcomer students in the Anchorage School District (ASD).

    At the Newcomers' Center, the ASD offers a special program for students who are new to the US. The kids spend part of each day at the center and part of the day at their neighborhood school. At the center, the students study English and other subjects.

    The main goal is to help newcomers reach the point where they attend their neighborhood schools all day. "Until then," Bisson says, "they have the support of being with kids like them, who are facing the same challenges (挑战)."

    Anchorage has a population of 300, 000.Among the ASD's 48, 000 students, 98 languages are spoken. According to Bisson, the ASD's newcomers program helps students understand a new culture so they can "start off on the right foot".

    The Newcomers' Center gives attention to middle school and high school students. For younger kids, the ASD offers a six-week summer program, which Shukri attended. "It helped me learn the language," she says. "I played sports with kids after class, and I played math games with my classmates. I feel very comfortable now."