Will MO Stem Cell Science Exhibits be Accurate? Not Likely
The Missouri science establishment is going all out to pass the human cloning legalization initiative, Amendment 2. Now, science museums have announced they will present stem cell displays that "contains information consistent with that presented by the scientific community to the public."
If that is true, there will be an awful lot of junk science on display. Readers of Secondhand Smoke know that "the scientists" often misstate the science of stem cells and cloning when presenting information to the public. Among the worst of these have been "the scientists" engaged in promoting Amendment 2, some of whom I have personally witnessed presenting wildly deceptive and inaccurate presentations.
For example, I was present when Dr. Steven Teitelbaum, a pro-cloning advocate of Amendment 2, falsely told a committee of the Missouri legislature that adult stem cells are merely "unipotent," meaning that blood stem cells can only make blood, fat stem cells only make fat, etc. This was pure bunk, since it has long been known that adult stem cells are at least multi-potent, meaning they can become several types of tissues, and a few may even be pluripotent.
Oh, not coincidentally, Dr. Titelebaum will be presenting on stem cells at one of these museums. No. I am not holding out much hope for scientific accuracy to be on display at these stem cell exhibits.
posted by Wesley J. Smith @ 12:08 PM
6 Comments
6 Comments:
I see that a Gerard Magill is also on the docket. What do we know about him and his position?
I am not familiar with Magill. To quote the Ben Stein character in Ferris Beuhler's Day Off, "Anyone?" "Anyone?"
I need a primer on current research on stemcell and ebryo research and what they reveal about mankind (besides mankind's tendency to rush in where angels fear to tread). I am being grilled about the soul and embryos and pluripotent cells, etc. Pluripotent cells can grow up to be human, right?
Pluripotent cells are just cells. In theory, they can become any tissue in the body. But they cannot become an embryo, which is what I think your question asks.
Totipotent cells can become an embryo. Thus a two celled embryo can be split into twins.
Souls are nothing that one can discuss from emperical information. But for pro lifers who suggest that a clone wouldn't have a soul, as I have been asked on several occassions, assuming there is a soul, how do they know? The soul, if it exists, comes from God, not sperm and egg. In other words, it isn't a biological thing, it is a spiritual thing. The question is whether it is human. And that is indisputable. I mean, was Dolly a sheep?
My book Consumer's Guide to a Brave New World is such a primer, he said modestly.
Thanks for your comments Wesley Smith. I shared them with my friend. I agree with you about the soul. Although my friend would like to use empirical indicators to say that it can be established that the soul is not in the body in the early stages, it seems, it really is a mystery, but I see value in holding in clarity the the modern discoveries regarding the the embryos, etc. I ordered your book new through Amazon. Thanks.
Thank you! And thanks for your many erudite contributions to Secondhand Smoke.
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home