The Food and Drug Administration is debating whether an experimental blood submitted can be tested in trauma patients who can't always give their consent. Join Joe Palca in this hour of Science Friday for a look at the rules for protecting human subjects, including prisoners. A new report by the Institute of Medicine says research done using prisoners needs more oversight.

Plus, a look at a new study that suggests meerkats teach their young how to eat and handle prey. It's not just meerkat-see, meerkat-do. Call in with your questions and comments at 1-800-989-8255 (3-4 Eastern). Teachers, find more information about using Science Friday as a classroom resource in the Kids' Connection.

Guests:
Mary Faith Marshall
Associate Dean for Social Medicine and Medical Humanities
Professor of Family Medicine and Community Health
Professor, Center for Bioethics
University of Minnesota Medical School
Minneapolis, Minnesota

Roger Lewis
Professor of Medicine
David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
Director of Research
Department of Emergency Medicine
Harbor-UCLA Medical Center
Researcher, Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute
Torrance, California

Lawrence O. Gostin, J.D.
Professor of Public Health
Johns Hopkins University
Professor of Law and Director, Center on Law and the Public Health
Georgetown University Law Center

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Alex Thornton
PhD Candidate, Department of Zoology
University of Cambridge
Cambridge, United Kingdom

Books/Articles Discussed:

"Teaching in Wild Meerkats," by A. Thornton and K. McAuliffe. Science Magazine, July 14 2006.

"Ethical Considerations for Research Involving Prisoners," Institute of Medicine, July 12 2006.

(find books discussed on previous broadcasts)

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This segment produced by Annette Heist