Researchers analysed thousands of laboratory-made plasmids and discovered that nearly half of them had defects, raising questions of experimental reproducibility.
Aggregated News
![A newborn baby gazes at the viewer while lying down on a blanket.](/sites/default/files/newborn-baby-990691_640.jpg)
Erin Jackson did not learn that her biological father was a sperm donor until she was 35. Until then, her parents had kept it a secret, as the doctor involved had advised.
That information, when it arrived, put Jackson’s entire life into a new perspective. “It was shocking, but it also made complete sense to me. It was probably the most transformational life event I have experienced,” said the Toronto native who now lives in California.
The first question she had after learning the truth was about the donor. And that is where Jackson, like many people who were donor conceived, hit a brick wall. There was no donor number, no health information; her mother didn’t even remember the name of the clinic she used.
“I wanted to know where I came from.”
Things have changed. Jackson, like thousands of donor offspring, eventually tracked down her biological father using a DNA website. She got in touch with him, although he does not want further contact, and also met a half brother, conceived with the same donor.
Donor anonymity, once a...