April 2, 2007
The first embryonic stem cells were isolated in mice in 1981. But it wasn’t until 1998 that researchers managed to derive stem cells from human embryos. That kicked into full gear an ethical debate that continues to this day. (NPR)
April 2, 2007
Jodi Kreiser and her husband faced a difficult choice. Two of the estimated half-million frozen embryos stored in fertility clinic freezers across the country are theirs. Most couples attempting to have children through in-vitro fertilization keep their unused frozen embryos … Read More
March 30, 2007
Anna Behrens is 24 years old. Tall and slim, she is working toward her Ph.D. in art history at an Ivy League school. During her undergraduate years, Anna accumulated $27,000 in credit-card debt. In the fall of 2005, frustrated by … Read More
March 29, 2007
Ian Wilmut, who supervised the team that cloned Dolly the sheep, is sad that human cloning hasn’t worked so far. But something else he said was unexpected and is interesting news: He believes that cell reprogramming–that is, reverting a cell … Read More
March 29, 2007
University of Connecticut researcher Xiangzhong “Jerry” Yang has continued to enlist famous backers to join his proposed international stem cell consortium to clone a human embryo and study the mysteries of the embryonic stem cells they produce. (Hartford Courant)
March 29, 2007
Australia’s new therapeutic cloning laws will help stem the brain drain of top scientists heading overseas, one of the nation’s top legal ethicists says. (ninemsn)
March 29, 2007
A decade ago, Ian Wilmut and a team of researchers in Scotland stunned the world when they announced they had cloned “Dolly” from the udder of a 6-year-old sheep, proving it was possible to make even old cells young again. … Read More
March 28, 2007
The Scientist is having an on-line discussion about human cloning. Below are the questions The Scientist poses: Is the nuclear transfer challenge one of understanding or technique? It would seem that the scientific community presumes successful stem cell cloning is … Read More
March 26, 2007
It was nearly a decade ago that Jose Cibelli plugged his own DNA into a cow’s egg in a novel cloning attempt that was condemned as unethical by President Clinton and landed the Michigan State University researcher in a mess … Read More
March 26, 2007
Senators Dianne Feinstein and Orin Hatch have just introduced Senate Bill 812, which explicitly legalizes human cloning and–since a shortage of human eggs is currently impeding human cloning research (one egg is needed for each attempt at cloning)–the bill also … Read More
March 25, 2007
I can disagree with people about political, social, and moral issues and still respect them. But when they resort to the kind of deceptions that permeate S. 812, the Feinstein/Hatch bill to legalize human cloning and pay women to procure … Read More
March 22, 2007
I have read the bill several times now. Funny thing: Even though the title of the bill is “The Human Cloning Ban and Stem Cell Protection Act of 2007,” the bill never even mentions stem cell research except in the … Read More
March 22, 2007
I just went to Senators Orin Hatch and Dianne Feinstein’s Web sites to read their press releases on the introduction of S. 812, a bill that would legalize human cloning and authorize researchers to pay women to undergo egg procurement. … Read More
March 21, 2007
I just found another area of dishonesty in S. 812, the bill that should be called “The Human Cloning Authorization Act.” Section 2(e) is entitled Voluntary Donation of Oocytes, meaning eggs. Indeed, Section II(e)(2) states: Prohibition on Purchase or Sale–No … Read More
March 21, 2007
Once again it is “pull the wool over their eyes” time in the United States Senate. My senator, Diane Feinstein (D-CA), and Utah’s Orin Hatch (R-UT) have introduced the dishonestly named “Human Cloning Ban and Stem Cell Research Protection Act … Read More
March 21, 2007
The debate over stem cell research will flare anew in both chambers of Legislative Hall today as a Senate committee considers a bill that would regulate government-funded research using embryonic stem cells, while a House panel considers legislation to ban … Read More
March 21, 2007
Earlier this month the Irish Bioethics Council (IBC) launched a consultation forum in a bid to get as many views as possible before Government policy is drawn up. (Irish Examiner)
March 20, 2007
Victoria may become the first Australian state to allow scientists to conduct therapeutic cloning by cell nuclear transfer (CNR), after legislation legalising the research was proposed by Health Minister Bronwyn Pike to the state’s Parliament last week. (BioNews)
March 19, 2007
Just imagine being able to clone your own skin, creating brand-new cells that are undamaged by age, sun or pollution. It would be the Holy Grail of skincare, the answer that every woman over the age of 30 has been … Read More
March 19, 2007
Australian scientists are one step closer to being allowed to clone human embryos after a federal health agency approved guidelines governing ethics of the research. (Sydney Morning Herald)
March 16, 2007
Japanese scientists have succeeded in cloning mouse embryos from unfertilised eggs, a breakthrough that could help resolve the passionate ethical debate about stem cell research. (Zee News)
March 15, 2007
For years, scientists have tried to develop a universal theory of everything. Steven Hawking predicts that such a theory will be discovered in the next 20 years. A new theory asserts that biology, not physics, will be the key to … Read More
March 15, 2007
At least one member of the state cabinet will vote against Premier Steve Bracks’ plan to allow therapeutic cloning of human embryos in Victoria. (The Age)
March 14, 2007
I love the comic strip Pearls Before Swine. In the last few days, it has poked fun at the embryonic stem cell/cloning debate. For a good laugh, check these out: Rat gets bored; the pitter patter of little feet, and … Read More
March 14, 2007
Stand by for white-hot arguments inside and outside Parliament as the State Government thrashed out a new Bill on stem cell research and the cloning of human embryos for medical research. (The Geelong Advertiser)
