THE ECONOMIST Gets the ACT Story Right

Wonder of wonder, miracle of miracles: Proving that it is possible to report accurately about the stem cell debate, The Economist actually got it right when describing ACT’s stem cell experiment, to wit:

“The firm’s success is not, however, quite as clear-cut as it seems. The researchers only had 16 embryos…, so to maximise the number cells they had to play with, they used most of the cells in each. That, of course, destroyed the embryos, so their technique is only a stepping stone to the desired outcome of working from a single cell each embryo. Even then, they were able to establish only two stable cell lines from some 91 initial cells.

“Nor was it clear whether the cells cultured together in this series of experiments came from the same or different embryos. That matters because single-cell biopsies would only work with this method if cells from unrelated embryos can nurture each other…” (Page 64, August 26, 2006 edition.)

Perhaps if the reporters for the American MSM would read The Economist before writing their own stories, we might be treated more often to accurate information.