Forthe first time, researchers have isolated egg-producing stem cells from theovaries of reproductive age women and shown these cells can produce what appearto be normal egg cells or oocytes. Since the 1950s, reproductive biologists havethought that egg precursor cells stop dividing about halfway through mammalianfetal development, giving a newborn female a finite number of potential eggs. Ababy girl, for example, is born with an estimated 1 million oocytes. Bypuberty, that number has declined to roughly 400,000. During a woman's fertileyears, follicles, the structures that host an oocyte and help it to mature, areactivated at a rate of about 1000 per menstrual cycle. (Typically, only onemature egg is released into the fallopian tubes each cycle.) And once theoocyte supply runs low, menopause begins. Comment:Many would argue that there are enough people in the world already and that thereis no need for more oocytes. While this kind of research is interesting is thekind that should not be supported by public funds.

Again, we see the scamsperpetrated by the OTC vitamin companies. Over-the-counter fish oil capsulesare usually 300 milligrams of eicosopentanoic acid (EPA) and docosohexanoicacid (DHA) each; the dosage needed to reduce triglycerides is over 3,000milligrams of EPA and DHA, or greater than 10 capsules. Researchers are using ahighly purified form of fish oil made only of EPA.