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The Price of Your Right to Know

The impassioned quest to label foods made with genetically modified organisms is heading for the states.  “Don’t think that it’s not coming to you,” warned Hawaii Attorney General David Louie at a meeting of state attorneys general.  They certainly understood.  In 2014 alone, 25 states have proposed 67 pieces of legislation related to GMO labeling.  After near misses in California…

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Congratulations to Shayna Svihovec for Being One of Three Jessie Alpaugh Senior Prize Winners

Shayna Svihovec (2014 Human Biology and Society BA major) is one of three Jessie Alpaugh Senior Prize winners awarded this year in the Disability Studies minor. With her project, titled “Straddling the Line Between the Deaf and Hearing Communities in a Hearing Dominated World,” she plans to add knowledge to the field of deaf and disability studies.  She hopes to eliminate…

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The FDA's Food Label Flaws

These days many consumers rely on the “Nutrition Facts” labels on the back of food products to count calories, check fat content and decide if what they’re eating is healthy. These labels aren’t perfect, though, and with that in mind, the Food and Drug Administration has a rule under consideration to revamp the labeling requirements. The rule’s main goal is…

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If Your Doctor Could Tell You That You'll Get Breast Cancer, Would You Want to Know?

Counsyl, a Silicon Valley company that screens prospective parents for their risk of passing on rare inherited diseases, has expanded its genetic testing service to assess your inherited risks for breast, ovarian, prostate, and pancreatic cancers.  The expanded testing, which arrived on the heels of $28 million in new funding raised from Goldman Sachs and others, comes in the midst…

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