Testing embryos

摘要

Germany's parliament has agreed to legalize some genetic testing on embryos generated by in vitro fertilization before they are implanted into a prospective mothers uterus. The vote, on 7 July, brings the country closer in line with the United States and most Western European countries, where preimplantation diagnosis of genetic abnormalities has been legal since the 1990s. See go.nature. com/yoqdpw for more. 144-144 James Webb threat Republicans in the US Congress are threatening to cancel the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), the successor to the Hubble Space Telescope. On 7 July, a House subcommittee voted to cut NASA's funding by US$1.6 billion (from last year's enacted levels) and to strip the JWST of funding altogether. The telescope's steadily climbing price tag - currently estimated at $6.5 billion - is devouring NASA's astrophysics budget. The vote was just the first step in a long legislative process, but comes as a warning shot to JWST . supporters. See go.nature. com/c57xiw for more.