As “the scientists” and industrialists who wanted to do human cloning spin the media that spending billions to perfect human SCNT is still necessary and that the new iPS cells are not really that big a deal, James Thomson, the scientist who derived the first human embryonic stem cell . . . . Continue Reading »
Abraham Lincoln, one of my great heroes, declared the first Thanksgiving National Holiday on October 3, 1863 in the midst of the worst crisis in American history. Here is what he proclaimed:The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and . . . . Continue Reading »
The NRO has published a mini-symposium containing the views of William Hurlbut, Jennifer Lahl (of the CBC), Carter Snead, and other notable commentators about the great stem cell breakthrough. They are all worth reading.But I thought Leon Kass’s perspective was most worthy of discussion here . . . . Continue Reading »
So much anti-humanism being expressed by people who live at a time of the greatest prosperity in history and who are members of the first moral species in the known history of the universe. The latest example of self-loathing concludes a book review written for Nature (no link) by one Chris D. . . . . Continue Reading »
The editors of the NRO lauded yesterday’s big stem cell announcement and the part played by President Bush, also credit my pal Bill Hurlbut for his strenuous and often selfless efforts—which I witnessed and that including late nights, travel away from family, castigation by some in the . . . . Continue Reading »
An article in the Telegraph was certainly music to my ears, if you will pardon the somewhat inapt metaphor:Landmark research published today by scientists in America and Japan is likely to render plans to clone human embryos redundant in the quest for revolutionary new treatments. Dolly the Sheep . . . . Continue Reading »
The science journal Cell has a great summary article today summarizing what the great announcement of the success of human cell reprogramming may mean (no link available):Direct reprogramming of somatic [body] cells to a pluripotent state, thus reversing the developmental arrow of time, is . . . . Continue Reading »
As I suspected would happen, I just listened to an ABC Radio report, and a Harvard scientist said the new stem cells were “not ready for prime time” because they can’t yet be used in human patients. Gee, they have never said that about embryonic stem cells. Instead, they insisted . . . . Continue Reading »
There are a lot of stories out about the big breakthrough, although as I suspected the energy of excitement is missing in many media reports. Still, the news is all over the place. Here’s a small sampling:- Los Angeles Times:Human skin cells can be reprogrammed to behave almost exactly like . . . . Continue Reading »
A huge advancement in stem cell research—and a stake in the heart of human cloning—was announced today. Two different scientific teams have “reprogrammed” skin and other adult cells and reverted them back to a pluripotent stem cell state. (The altered cells are being called . . . . Continue Reading »
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