Financial Times (August 1)
Wall Street is enthusiastic about all things pet. “The growth of pet versions of everything from health food to personal service and new drugs is luring investors.” For example, “Zoetis, the animal pharmaceuticals company, has strongly outperformed its former owner Pfizer since being spun off in 2013; shares in Chewy, the online pet supplies retailer rose by 50 per cent on its first day of trading in June.” Consistency makes the pet industry stand out. The sum Americans spend on pets “has risen steadily at around 5 per cent annually for two decades, even following the 2008 financial crisis, when people bought less for themselves.”
Tags: Chewy, Drugs, Enthusiastic, Health food, Investors, Personal service, Pfizer, Pharmaceuticals, Wall Street, Zoetis
The Independent (July 30)
“Human-animal hybrids are to be developed in embryo form in Japan after the government approved controversial stem-cell research.” Elsewhere worries that “human cells could stray beyond the targeted organs into other areas of the animal, effectively creating a creature that is part animal, part person” have essentially banned such research. But supporters counter that “the work – led by renowned geneticist Hiromitsu Nakauchi – could be a vital first step towards eventually growing organs that can then be transplanted into people in need.”
Tags: Controversial, Embryo, Geneticist, Government, Human cells, Human-animal hybrids, Japan, Nakauchi, Organs, Stem-cell research
