Thursday, December 01, 2005
Stem Cell Factual and Ethical Conclusion
I have been doing some more research about stem cell research and I want to share my findings and my opinion based from them. First, I have found 3 different articles stating that cloning of primates is likely impossible since cell division does not work properly in clones. These are the links to those three articles. http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn3614
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2003/04/030411070915.htm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/2936401.stm
I had read similar articles and for this reason, my belief that research cloning of humans, or even of embryonic stem cell, will in the end be mostly fruitless.
This idea of the impossibility of human cloning is backed up from this story of embryonic cloning in Mass. http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn1605 This story talks about how cloning of embryos was done, but failure came about in developmental stages. Here is a quote from the article: “ Ian Wilmut, who cloned Dolly the sheep at the Roslin Institute, said ACT's results were "very preliminary". He said a human embryo is expected to double its number of cells every 24 hours, but even ACT's most developed embryo had not done this: "The furthest it got was to have six cells, at a time it should have had 60, so it had already died."” This supports the previous articles and statements about human (and monkey) cloning. The bottom of the article also mentions the Korean scientist and his research as unpublished and invalidated. Another article that mentions the possibility of serious scandal (greater than eggs of graduate students) is here: http://www.news24.com/News24/Technology/News/0,,2-13-1443_1843825,00.html
From viewing the above information, I speculate something about the Korean scientist. I think that his cells were very unsuccessful and he “destroyed” them for “ethical” reasons to cover up his failure of producing successful embryonic clones. Although this is just speculation, it seems very possible since privately well funded scientists in Mass, the same guy who cloned Dolly, had so much trouble. At least he admitted it.
All this to say that I think after this year, and previous study of embryonic stem cells, I have reached a point to desire science to stay away from the use of embryos. The reproductive process is natural, whether one believes that evolution by chance brought it about or that some High Power created it. Either way, this is a beautiful process and should not be perverted. It seems that either nature (or Nature) has limited us. If in 50 years cloning and embryonic stem cells become completely possible, I invite everyone in this class who disagrees with me now to write a long mocking letter to me and then ask for 20 dollars and I will give it to you. Deal?
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2003/04/030411070915.htm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/2936401.stm
I had read similar articles and for this reason, my belief that research cloning of humans, or even of embryonic stem cell, will in the end be mostly fruitless.
This idea of the impossibility of human cloning is backed up from this story of embryonic cloning in Mass. http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn1605 This story talks about how cloning of embryos was done, but failure came about in developmental stages. Here is a quote from the article: “ Ian Wilmut, who cloned Dolly the sheep at the Roslin Institute, said ACT's results were "very preliminary". He said a human embryo is expected to double its number of cells every 24 hours, but even ACT's most developed embryo had not done this: "The furthest it got was to have six cells, at a time it should have had 60, so it had already died."” This supports the previous articles and statements about human (and monkey) cloning. The bottom of the article also mentions the Korean scientist and his research as unpublished and invalidated. Another article that mentions the possibility of serious scandal (greater than eggs of graduate students) is here: http://www.news24.com/News24/Technology/News/0,,2-13-1443_1843825,00.html
From viewing the above information, I speculate something about the Korean scientist. I think that his cells were very unsuccessful and he “destroyed” them for “ethical” reasons to cover up his failure of producing successful embryonic clones. Although this is just speculation, it seems very possible since privately well funded scientists in Mass, the same guy who cloned Dolly, had so much trouble. At least he admitted it.
All this to say that I think after this year, and previous study of embryonic stem cells, I have reached a point to desire science to stay away from the use of embryos. The reproductive process is natural, whether one believes that evolution by chance brought it about or that some High Power created it. Either way, this is a beautiful process and should not be perverted. It seems that either nature (or Nature) has limited us. If in 50 years cloning and embryonic stem cells become completely possible, I invite everyone in this class who disagrees with me now to write a long mocking letter to me and then ask for 20 dollars and I will give it to you. Deal?
