Wesley J. Smith

Bad news and good news—first the bad: A very close friend’s mother was diagnosed with colon cancer. But the very good news is that her disease was caught so early she won’t even need chemotherapy.Why? She had a colonoscopy! Had she not taken this life saving step, a few years down . . . . Continue Reading »

A big proof of principle advance has been announced on the IPSC front. Human brain cells have been reverted to an embryonic-like state with drugs—and without using any cancer-causing gene, reducing the need for virus vectors. From the story: A major advance in transforming one kind of cell . . . . Continue Reading »

I have reported on the Canadian futile care lawsuit involving Samuel Golubchuck here at SHS previously. For those who may not recall, Golubchuck is a terminally ill elderly patient being treated in a Winnipeg hospital’s ICU. Doctors want to refuse life-sustaining treatment. The . . . . Continue Reading »

I admire James Thomson, the scientist who first derived human embryonic stem cells and helped push the IPSC “lead into gold” breakthrough into human application. As most of the Science Establishment has outrageously hyped the potential of using ESCs for CURES! CURES! CURES!, Thomson has . . . . Continue Reading »

I read this NYT op/ed by Columbia physics professor Brian Greene whilst flying home from Europe in the Herald Tribune. On its face, Greene seems to be promoting better science education both in schools and among the general public. But it struck me that his underlying message is that science should . . . . Continue Reading »

When a story about worrying suicide rates in Oregon crossed my computer, I bet myself that the expert being interviewed and the reporter would ignore the obvious: Oregon officially sanctions some suicides and calls them “choice” if the suicidal person has a terminal illness—even if . . . . Continue Reading »

This is great: A child with a fatal genetic disease has apparently been treated effectively with a combination of adult/umbilical cord blood stem cells. From the story: In October 2007, Nate Liao received marrow- and umbilical cord blood-derived stem cells and progenitor cells from his healthy, . . . . Continue Reading »

If it’s not red, it’s not wine, says I—not only one of earth’s fine pleasures but also supposedly good for you. And now further evidence has come in demonstrating the virtues of vino rosso. From the story:Red wine may be much more potent than was thought in extending human . . . . Continue Reading »

For the past two decades, euthanasia/assisted-suicide ideologues have worked overtime to conflate palliative care¯the medical alleviation of pain and other distressing symptoms of serious illness¯with intentionally ending the life of the patient. The movement’s first target was the . . . . Continue Reading »

The KKK used to compare African Americans to animals. That was pure bigotry. I thought that was all in the past, but now it is the animal rights radicals that do it. The hyper radical Steven Best put it this way in an interview:Stealing blacks from their native environment and homeland, placing . . . . Continue Reading »