INTERNACIONAL
23andMe bankruptcy prompts Cornyn-Grassley-Klobuchar bipartisan bill to protect sensitive genetic data
FIRST ON FOX: Republican senators John Cornyn and Chuck Grassley and Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar are rolling out a bipartisan measure to protect sensitive genetic data in response to privacy concerns sparked by 23andMe’s bankruptcy, Fox News Digital has learned.
Cornyn, R-Texas; Grassley, R-Iowa; and Klobuchar, D-Minn., are introducing the Don’t Sell My DNA Act, which would safeguard customers’ sensitive genetic information when an entity that maintains data files for bankruptcy. The bill would add genetic information to the definition of «personally identifiable information» in the bankruptcy code.
PROTECT YOUR GENETIC DATA: URGENT STEPS AFTER 23ANDME BANKRUPTCY
Under current law, the bankruptcy code provides protections for personally identifiable information in bankruptcy court proceedings to prevent the possibility of identity theft, harm or other unlawful injury.
Senate aides told Fox News Digital the current definition of personally identifiable information includes an individual’s name, address, email, phone number, Social Security number, credit card numbers and other information that could be used for identification purposes.
Those aides said the definition is «outdated» and does not include a reference to genetic information, leaving the information vulnerable.
A 23andMe saliva collection kit (Kurt «CyberGuy» Knutsson)
«This legislation would solve this problem by updating the definition of ‘personally identifiable information’ in the bankruptcy code to include genetic information,» a Senate aide said.
The bill also addresses consumer privacy concerns by having consumers affirmatively consent to the sale or lease of their genetic information after a bankruptcy case commences and requiring companies to provide prior written notice of the use, sale or lease of their genetic information during bankruptcy.
The bill also requires the trustee or debtor in possession to delete any genetic information not subject to a sale or lease.
Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas (Reuters)
«Advances in DNA testing have allowed Americans to have unprecedented access to important insights about their genetics, but these companies must have a plan to protect this data in the event of bankruptcy,» Cornyn told Fox News Digital.
«By updating the bankruptcy code, this legislation would safeguard Americans’ sensitive genetic information to ensure it cannot be weaponized against them or made public without their knowledge and consent.»
Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, at the U.S. Capitol after a senate luncheon Sept. 24, 2024. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
And Klobuchar said companies «have profited off of Americans’ data while consumers have been left in the dark, which is especially concerning in light of reports that 23andMe plans to sell customer genetic data assets to a large pharmaceutical company.»
«This bill will put new protections in place to safeguard Americans’ privacy while giving consumers greater control over how their sensitive health data is shared,» Klobuchar said.
Grassley told Fox News Digital consumers should «feel confident that any personal information shared with a public company isn’t up for grabs when that company files for bankruptcy.»
Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn. (Screenshot/ABC/TheView)
Grassley told Fox News Digital the bill «would fill gaps in current law to help safeguard consumers’ genetic information and ensure Americans’ DNA isn’t treated like any other financial asset.»
On Monday, 23andMe announced Regeneron Pharmaceuticals would purchase 23andMe through a bankruptcy auction.
Senate aides said Regeneron promises to «protect consumer information, but the data privacy concerns for future bankruptcies remain.»
REGENERON PHARMACEUTICALS TO BUY BANKRUPT 23ANDME IN $256M DEAL
The genetic testing company 23andMe, once a pioneer in consumer DNA testing, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in March amid financial struggles, a leadership shakeup and growing concerns about the security of its customers’ genetic data.
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals announced it will acquire «substantially all» of genetic testing company 23andMe’s assets.
The pharmaceutical company said it won the court-supervised auction of the genetic testing company, with Regeneron agreeing to pay $256 million for the assets. The auction for 23andMe was part of the Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection it filed in March to arrange a sale of its business.
In its bankruptcy petition, the company estimated a range of $100 million to $500 million for its assets. Estimated liabilities were the same.
The pharmaceutical company is buying 23andMe’s personal genome service and its health and research services segments, according to 23andMe.
Senate,Senate Democrats,Privacy,Genetics Science
INTERNACIONAL
Hadrosaurio: cómo era la especie de dinosaurio que encontraron momificado con piel y cascos sorprendentes
Un equipo de investigadores de los Estados Unidos y España logró revelar la apariencia más realista del Edmontosaurus annectens, uno de los dinosaurios gigantes del Período Cretácico, que vivió entre 69 y 66 millones de años atrás.
El hallazgo de restos fósiles fue en el este de Wyoming, Estados Unidos. Fue liderado por el paleontólogo Paul Sereno, de la Universidad de Chicago. El estudio se publicó en la revista Science, de la Asociación Estadounidense para el Avance de la Ciencia.
Permitió reconstruir aspectos únicos de la piel, las crestas y los pies de este animal herbívoro, gracias a la extraordinaria conservación de varios fósiles momificados.
“Es la primera vez que tenemos una visión completa y detallada de un dinosaurio grande en la que realmente podemos confiar”, afirmó el doctor Sereno.
La investigación se centró en dos ejemplares fuera de lo común procedentes de la “zona de las momias”, un área de menos de diez kilómetros de diámetro famosa por su riqueza paleontológica.
Los dos fósiles más completos corresponden a un individuo juvenil y otro adulto joven; ambos fueron claves para conocer la cobertura tegumentaria real de estos animales que vivieron hace unos 66 millones de años.
Edmontosaurus annectens fue un dinosaurio herbívoro que vivió hace entre 69 y 66 millones de años en América del Norte. Su cuerpo podía superar los doce metros y se adaptaba a pastar plantas en manadas.
Contaba con un amplio pico sin dientes en la parte delantera, ideal para recolectar vegetación baja y blanda.
La reconstrucción más reciente revela que presentaba una piel cubierta de pequeñas escamas, una cresta carnosa a lo largo del cuello y el lomo, y cascos en los dedos de pies y manos.
Su forma de caminar era especial: usaba tanto sus cuatro patas como solo las traseras, lo que lo hacía diferente de otros dinosaurios conocidos.
Estas características lo transforman en una pieza clave para entender la evolución de los grandes dinosaurios herbívoros.
Ahora, el equipo liderado por el doctor Sereno logró interpretar restos de dos ejemplares hallados en la “zona de las momias” de Wyoming, un sitio célebre por su riqueza fósil.
Los fósiles analizados corresponden a un individuo juvenil y a un adulto joven, ambos con detalles anatómicos nunca vistos en el registro fósil tradicional.
Los expertos aplicaron tomografía computarizada, microscopía óptica y espectroscopía de rayos X sobre los huesos y la piel fosilizada.
Esas tecnologías permitieron observar las texturas y formas originales sin dañar los fósiles.
Según escribieron los investigadores, “todas las estructuras de la piel fosilizada están preservadas como una fina plantilla de arcilla que se formó en la superficie de un cadáver enterrado mientras se descomponía”.
El equipo encontró que la piel muestra una cresta carnosa y una fila de espinas, además de cascos en dedos tanto de patas delanteras como traseras.
Estas características nunca antes documentadas con tal claridad en dinosaurios ofrecieron nuevos datos sobre la evolución anatómica de los hadrosáuridos, un grupo del que se sabe poco en términos de rasgos blandos.
La máscara de arcilla preservó íntegramente la microestructura de la piel, al reproducir formas y detalles pequeños gracias a minerales como caolinita e illita.
“La conservación no dependió de ambientes marinos sin oxígeno, sino que ocurrió en un entorno fluvial perfectamente aireado, algo insólito para dinosaurios tan grandes”, aclararon los investigadores.
Entre los hallazgos importantes, el trabajo deja ver que la fidelidad en la conservación de los tejidos blandos permite aprender más sobre la biología y conducta de los dinosaurios de finales del Cretácico.
El avance ayuda a entender la variedad real de formas que pudo tener este amplio grupo de animales.
University of Chicago Medical Center
El equipo recomendó dejar de usar el término “impresión de piel” y propone “renderizado del tegumento”, que define mejor los modos de conservación de tejidos blandos.
Aclararon que no hallaron pigmentos ni proteínas originales, por lo que no pueden determinar el color auténtico del animal ni conocer detalles profundos de su composición química.
Tampoco se puede saber si la cresta carnosa fue una característica exclusiva para todos los individuos de la especie.
El equipo prevé analizar nuevos fósiles de la región y buscar restos de tejidos en sedimentos distintos. Concluyeron que el hallazgo “permite mirar de cerca cómo se veían y cómo podían vivir estos gigantes del pasado”.
INTERNACIONAL
Letitia James ‘wreaking havoc’ on New York in ways voters may not even realize, GOP challenger says
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Fox News Digital sat down with New York Republican attorney general candidate Michael Henry, who made his case on why the Democrat currently holding that office, Letitia James, needs to go and why his campaign has the message to do that.
«Two things,» Henry told Fox News Digital when asked what voters in New York tell him they are most concerned about. «Crime and affordability.»
Henry explained that New Yorkers are «fed up» with the cost of living in the state and may not realize that many of the regulatory policies that affect affordability are handled by the attorney general’s office.
«It’s really put a hamper on economic growth in the State of New York, how her and her bureau chiefs, deputy bureau chief, and the attorneys in the office, who all serve under the discretion of the attorney general, have really crippled the New York State economy,» Henry said.
LETITIA JAMES UP AGAINST ‘BY THE BOOK’ PROSECUTOR ‘WHO MEANS BUSINESS,’ FORMER KENTUCKY AG CAMERON SAYS
Fox News Digital interviewed NY AG candidate Michael Henry about his plan to unseat Letitia James. (Fox News Digital/Getty)
Henry expressed concern specifically about energy costs and what he called a «far-left agenda» that James has been implementing.
«We see a Democrat governor in Josh Shapiro, who’s encouraging New York energy companies to work in Pennsylvania right across the line, where you could literally throw a rock and hit a truck on the Pennsylvania border. But then the 100 years worth of energy under our feet in the southern tier of New York State, which would not only revive the economy, but the people in places like Manhattan would see probably about a 60% cost of energy go down,» Henry said.
«And Letitia James has been wreaking havoc on the daily lives of New Yorkers, and in many instances they just don’t even realize it, and this is something I’ve been trying to shine a light on, letting them know how much damage she’s doing to them and their ability to just be able to afford to live here.»
ANDERSON COOPER SAYS IT WAS ‘NOT A GREAT LOOK’ FOR LETITIA JAMES TO THREATEN TO SUE TRUMP AFTER HER ELECTION
New York Attorney General Letitia James speaks alongside Gov. Kathy Hochul during a press conference in New York City on Nov. 6, 2024, discussing the impact of Donald Trump’s reelection as president. (Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Henry ran unsuccessfully against James in 2020, but his 45% of the vote was one of the best showings for a Republican in the state in decades.
Henry told Fox News Digital he lives a comfortable life as an attorney and didn’t plan on running again, but when he looked around and surveyed the situation he felt compelled to do so.
«You travel to upstate New York, you see these wind fans that don’t work, you see solar panels that break in the winter, yet we’re not allowed to use all options when it comes to energy development,» Henry said.
«Three thousand correctional officers, which is a huge employer in upstate New York, were fired by Letitia James and Kathy Hochul, three thousand families that relied on that income to take care of things like tuition or put food on the table, and they were blocked from going into other civil servant employment. You just see the war on agriculture, war on dairy farmers. There’s a 62-county drug crisis that’s been exacerbated, and if you had told me in 2022, all these issues would have happened or been this bad, I never would have believed you.»
Ultimately, Henry believes that New Yorkers need an «outsider» candidate who has «no fear of Letitia James at all.»
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Letitia James, New York’s attorney general, and Zohran Mamdani, New York City mayoral candidate, embrace during a campaign rally at United Palace in New York City on Monday, Oct. 13, 2025. (Christian Monterrosa/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Henry explained, «Look, let’s be honest, she wakes up every day focused on three things: targeting the president of the United States, weaponizing her office against political opponents, and ignoring the issues that matter most to hardworking families,» Henry said. «And she’s forgotten that the New York state attorney general is the people’s lawyer, and it’s not the enforcer for the Democrat National Committee.»
On the crime front, Henry hit James for «not cooperating with local law enforcement,» particularly sheriffs in Republican areas, and said New Yorkers are «fed up» on the crime issue.
James will be in court Friday morning after being charged with mortgage fraud, which she has dismissed as political, but Henry pushed back on that narrative.
«People have seen her awkwardly stumble through these press conferences off the cuff, and now we’ve seen her ethical issues, where apparently she’s not only multiple times signed documents saying she’s married to her father, she doesn’t even know what state she lives in, apparently.»
«And Letitia James can’t have it both ways. She can’t say I’ve been trained by the best and then have these discrepancies on numerous occasions in her mortgage applications. It’s either that she knew what she was doing or she lacks the basic reading comprehension skills of a middle schooner, because I could walk into a middle school and put a mortgage application on any child’s desk, and they would say to me, I’m not married to my daddy,» Henry added. «So she cannot have it both ways, and she’s going to be held accountable this time, and we’re seeing it on a daily basis.»
politics,new york,elections
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DEPORTE2 días agoUniversidad de Chile vs. Lanús, por la Copa Sudamericana: día, horario y cómo verlo por TV
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