Human cloning is coming. Maybe not to a Walmart near you, but it is coming. And by human cloning, I mean reproductive cloning, not therapeutic cloning which is a totally different cup of tea. The cloning I’m talking about is where you duplicate a human being. Despite efforts to prevent human cloning, such as a […]
Justin Beiber or Einstein or you? Who gets cloned first? Read More »
What are the top stem cell websites and blogs in the world? Who decides? Americans and people all over the world are inexorably changing how they get their information. While newspapers and the nightly news used to spoon-feed us the “top stories” in the news, their heyday is over and now most people get their
A new approach to promoting stem cell research on the Internet Read More »
While most readers here tell me they greatly value our stem cell blog, after some threats I’m wondering: is it time to shut this blog down? Some people are saying I should or else! Unfortunately, threats to scientists, scientific openness, and science itself are not unusual. This stem cell blog in its current incarnation has
Shut Down This Stem Cell Blog or Else! Read More »
Ideas are the foundation of stem cell research, but funding makes those ideas a reality. We talk a lot about governmental funding of stem cell research through CIRM and NIH. The funding from these agencies is essential and will undoubtedly lead to new treatments and cures, possibly for millions of patients. But there is another
Why invest in stem cells? Progress, Patients, and Patents Read More »
It seems reasonably likely that in the end, the final say on the embryonic stem cell case one way or another will be decided by the U.S. Supreme Court. While yesterday brought a victory for science and patients and logic, this was just one battle, not the war. The war that opponents of ES cell
How would the Supreme Court rule on embryonic stem cells? Read More »
A Federal Appeals Court ruled 2-1 today to overturn Judge Lamberth’s injunction against federal funding of ES cell research. Great news! You can read the decision here (warning: big pdf). A key part of the ruling was the following: “the plaintiffs are unlikely to prevail because Dickey-Wicker is ambiguous and the NIH seems reasonably to
Victory for science and patients: what the appeals court ES cell ruling means (UPDATE) Read More »
When does politics trump hope? It seems all the time. I think politicians frequently take positions on science-related issues that they either don’t really believe or understand. Perhaps I’m wrong, but for example, I don’t believe that most national level Republican leaders oppose ES cell research. Most of us have either ourselves faced injuries or
The uncertainty regarding the Federal FY2011 budget has taken a big toll on many throughout the country, including the biomedical science community. Given the fiscal uncertainty, NIH has been forced to wait to make decisions on a host of research proposals. Congress has really given NIH no other option but to wait. In turn, scores
Riding the science budget rollercoaster: time to hurl or cheer? Read More »
Before stem cell research was on everyone’s minds and before the phrase “regenerative medicine” was familiar to most scientists, The Roman Reed Spinal Cord Injury Research Act of 1999 funded research into treating paralysis. It was a revolutionary piece of legislation, named after my friend Roman Reed, a true hero. Roman was playing college football
Support Funding for the Roman Reed Spinal Cord Injury Research Program Read More »
Reportedly, House Republicans are proposing a continuing resolution (CR) to fund the rest of FY2011 at 2008 funding levels. To achieve such an end, the Republicans would have to invoke serious cuts through the federal budget. Not only would such cuts likely damage the U.S. economy, but also they would have major other negative consequences.
Science is a national security issue Read More »