February 15, 2005
- Doctors have separated fetal DNA from its mother's blood and were able to accurately identify single-gene mutations causing beta-thalassemia. The doctors hope that the technique could be applied to a range of other genetic disorders, overcoming the need for the more invasive procedure called amniocentesis. (Nature)
- The classification of fossil Megarachne servinei discovered in the 1980s and long thought to be the world's largest spider has been disproved. Arachnid expert Dr Paul Selden has identified the metre-long fossil as a sea scorpion. (BBC)
Read more about this topic: February 2005 In Science
Famous quotes containing the word february:
“If a man is a good lawyer, a good physician, a good engineer ... he may be a fool in every other capacity. But no deficiency or mistake of judgment is forgiven to a woman ... and should she fail anywhere, if she has any scientific attainment, or artistic faculty, instead of standing her interest as an excuse, it is censured as an aggravation and offence.”
—E.P.P., U.S. women’s magazine contributor. The Una, p. 28 ( February 1855)