How cool is the new news on stem cells? This stuff just fascinates me. I'm in the IT field, but I love to devour any information on this type of science. I even geek out occasionally and actually read the papers that are published even though I don't understand half of what's being said. What amazes me are the people that figure this stuff out and then apply it to everyday life to make things better. I can't tip my hat enough to the people in this field and the work that they do.

I've thought for a long time that the "alternative" ways of making stem cells, particularly reprogramming, would end up yielding methods more powerful than stem cells themselves. We tend to get too fixated on the current technologies (e.g. SCNT) and forget how quickly science moves past initial technologies toward more efficient or powerful approaches. SCNT is/was just a step along the road to something stronger.

One thing we can be sure of: the research done to arrive at these new possibilities was done in the face of opposition from the folks at the Flat Earth Society who thump the "Good Book" and decry most rational effort.

Maybe because I'm not in the field I overestimate the ability of scientists and researchers to make headway in these areas as I think that the variables in dealing with cells, diseases, etc., would be overwhelming. It's almost pure reductionist science, but it obviously continues to work and thank goodness that it does.

Lol. Hit resoundingly on the head, Tom.

I am a bit worried, though. Does supporting stem-cell reserach mean I have to stop believing Adam and Eve had a pet dinosaur?

We can be sure, also, that many of these same folks not only support, but would condemn those who do not, killing people with tax payers' money on a daily basis. Somehow, they seem to think killing children (and adults, too) is ok sometimes (like when invading a non-threat nation). I guess taking the Bible literally is fine for these folks as long as it doesn't actually involve the ten commandments.