I recently read an article on Forbes.com where the reporter attempts to talk about Embryonic Stem Cell research (or ES) and its supposed dirty little secret. In this article the author, Michael Fumento, asks when will ES be ready for clinical applications and suggests that ES is not worth pursuing because end results that involve direct cures for diseases and injuries may be decades away. There are so many problems with this article it is hard to know where to begin.
First of all research isn’t just about solving one particular problem. While there is always a primary goal, often research into one thing yields discoveries in other, often related areas. These discoveries often give us ways to improve the condition and reduce the suffering of those inflicted with the malady that is being researched. So while a “cure” may not yet have been found for, lets say AIDs, the research done into the subject has yielded drugs and methods to reduce symptoms, extend the lives of the infected, and significantly reduce the risk of spreading the disease. This could not have been done without this research, yet we still have no cure.
The next problem with this article is that ES is a very broad field with research into everything from diabetes and heart disease to spinal cord injuries and Multiple Sclerosis. To say it isn’t done yet or results are decades away is lunacy. There are too many areas of study for ES to be “done” yet. We will probably even be studying the field for thousands of years to come and still gain results. Granted at some point the results will become less and less frequent as we unlock more and more secrets, but that does not mean the information that we gain is useless. So far the study of ES has yielded much information into how the human body develops, how cancers work, how cells gain their position in the body, etc. This information has already led us to solutions and treatments for many different diseases.
Finally, I have a problem with someone whom knows little to nothing about research, save what he Googled in one afternoon, telling a wide audience of public (most of whom are probably just as ignorant on the subject) that Embryonic Stem Cell research is not worth the time, money, and effort put into it. Mr. Fumento, stick to subjects you know and stop spreading discourse about that which you are so ignorant, such as anything to do with science.
Tags: Forbes.com, news, reporters, research, Stem Cell Research
More than likely the Stem cell opponent is another person locked in fear. He has been told that embryonic stem cells are little babies. Most of these “fundamentalists” have little real knowledge and fewer facts. These people always have to be against something. This is their rallying point. It is OK if they want to die but I want to live and stem cell research holds the best promise. Two undifferentiated cells do not a child make. They are willing to sacrifice my life for their superstitions. This work will go on. We cannot afford to stop. If we do it will happen in other places that cannot be regulated.
The depths of Fumento’s scientific knowledge can be judged by a booke he wrote a book about biotechnology. In it, Fumento described DNA as a two-stranded molecule of protein. Publishing Fumento on science is a pretty severe condemnation of Forbes’ editorial judgment.