|
Register | Sign In |
|
QuickSearch
EvC Forum active members: 63 (9162 total) |
| |
popoi | |
Total: 916,386 Year: 3,643/9,624 Month: 514/974 Week: 127/276 Day: 1/23 Hour: 1/0 |
Thread ▼ Details |
|
Thread Info
|
|
|
Author | Topic: MAPPING STEM CELL RESEARCH: Terra Incognita on PBS tonight | |||||||||||||||||||||||
teen4christ Member (Idle past 5819 days) Posts: 238 Joined: |
I hope this doensn't constitute as spam.
This program will premiere tonight and be shown again on the 17th. The following is the direct link to the PBS website. Mapping Stem Cell Research: Terra Incognita | ITVS Check for your local listings at http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/broadcast.html You can watch the preview at the following link: http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/stemcell/previewpop.html Here is what the film is about.
quote: Cheers!
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
teen4christ Member (Idle past 5819 days) Posts: 238 Joined: |
Just bumping for those who haven't noticed this. I have a love/hate relationship with the concept of stem cell research.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
Adminnemooseus Administrator Posts: 3974 Joined: |
Thread moved here from the Proposed New Topics forum.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
Taz Member (Idle past 3312 days) Posts: 5069 From: Zerus Joined: |
I just noticed this just now. I guess I'll catch it on Thursday.
Thanks.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
molbiogirl Member (Idle past 2662 days) Posts: 1909 From: MO Joined: |
Not just skin cells.
In fact, an entire heart, a beating heart, was grown from stem cells. http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/...3048877-2703,00.html
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
RAZD Member (Idle past 1425 days) Posts: 20714 From: the other end of the sidewalk Joined: |
... an entire heart, a beating heart, was grown from stem cells. http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/...3048877-2703,00.html quote: Aren't "progenitor" cells the same as undifferentiated adult stem cells? My autogenic white cell stem cell transplant was done with progenitor cells taken from my blood.
quote: Which is why my progenitor\stem cells were used. An allogenic white cell stem cell transplant would be done with progenitor cells taken from someone else's blood, and anti-rejection drugs would be needed for the rest of your life. The whole point of fetal stem cell research is that they would be "autogenic" for everyone, and you would not have the rejection problems. With white cell transplants rejection gets ugly, because it is the blood that rejects the body.
Not just skin cells. But he was talking about turning skin cells into stem cells, not growing skin from stem cells. This is all good stuff. Now for the "bad" stuff ... This doesn't resolve the issue of fetal stem cells, and we will never know whether they can be as good as fetal stem cells without fully investigating fetal stem cells. We don't know what fetal stem cells are capable of doing and what they are not capable of doing. Can they provide a permanent cure for diabetes, parkinson's, demetia, etc? The issue of fetal stem cells is - IMH(ysa)O - unnecessarily complicated by religious fanatics and people trying to make political hay for the religious right. The plain fact is that after 10 years of storage, over 99% of the embryos that could be used for stem cell research will never become living thinking breathing human beings. The alternative then, when these embryos no longer need to be preserved is that they will be discarded. Thrown out in the trash. The plain fact is that embryos just do not qualify as living thinking breathing human beings (see Legal Death, Legal Life, Personhood and Abortion for a discussion on this issue). Nor can they become living thinking breathing human beings without being transformed and embellished by an extensive medical procedure. They are on life support, awaiting either disposal or medical use. The plain fact is that the parents own the embryos, and should be the ones to decide whether they want to donate -- just like organ donation from children, when it comes time to terminate life support. The plain fact is that over 2/3 (IIRC) of the parents involved were willing to donate their remaining embryos to science. They are willing to make that choice based on their moral and ethical standards and on their perceived lack of need for embryos to be preserved any longer. The plain fact is that there is no real ethical question here that has not already been covered with organ transplants and the definition of death that is currently used. Enjoy. we are limited in our ability to understand by our ability to understand RebelAAmericanOZen[Deist ... to learn ... to think ... to live ... to laugh ... to share.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
macaroniandcheese  Suspended Member (Idle past 3948 days) Posts: 4258 Joined: |
The plain fact is that there is no real ethical question here that has not already been covered with organ transplants and the definition of death that is currently used. exactly. but, just like these whackos flipping out on the radio this morning saying "i won't use meat or dairy from cloned animals because it's not safe" people make shit up. they just make up lies.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
RAZD Member (Idle past 1425 days) Posts: 20714 From: the other end of the sidewalk Joined: |
I have a love/hate relationship with the concept of stem cell research. What are the problems you have? This also gets into the question of what you want to discuss on your thread - the status of stem cell research or the ethical questions that (maybe 1/3rd max) of the population have? Let me make a prediction: less than 10% of the american population will refuse the benefits of stem cell research when it comes to a question of their own life. Enjoy. we are limited in our ability to understand by our ability to understand RebelAAmericanOZen[Deist ... to learn ... to think ... to live ... to laugh ... to share.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
teen4christ Member (Idle past 5819 days) Posts: 238 Joined: |
quote:A part of me wants to define human life to begin at the point of conception, when the sperm fertilizes the egg and a membrane forms around the fertilized egg to prevent other sperm cells from entering. Another part of me wants to only see it as a potential for human life but not necessarily human life itself. In this case, when does human life begin? For now, I'd have to say I don't know exactly when but I think I have a good idea of generally when. Stem cell research offers a lot of promises. It has the potential to cure many currently incurable diseases and injuries. In other words, it's weighing the benefits between the potential for life and life itself, which I think a fully human being would of course win out.
quote:No need to predict. I fully realize just how selfish people can be when it comes to their own benefits. The love/hate relationship I have with stem cell research is like my love/hate relationship with spring. While I enjoy the warmth and flowery scenes, I also have spring allergies. I'd be the person sneezing and coffing all the time in the back of the room.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
teen4christ Member (Idle past 5819 days) Posts: 238 Joined: |
quote:Europe, I believe, is on the forefront of not accepting meat and dairy products from cloned animals. They also don't like fruits and vegetables that have been genetically engineered, which I don't really get considering civilization have been genetically engineering our food supplies for thousands of years.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
macaroniandcheese  Suspended Member (Idle past 3948 days) Posts: 4258 Joined: |
all you have to do is look at corn. it's been specifically engineered for it's purpose. it used to look kind of like wheat.
as far as i'm concerned, clones are twins, whether animal, mineral, vegetable, or human. my clone would no more be a replication of me than a twin of mine would be. but this is entirely off-topic.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
RAZD Member (Idle past 1425 days) Posts: 20714 From: the other end of the sidewalk Joined: |
A part of me wants to define human life to begin at the point of conception, when the sperm fertilizes the egg and a membrane forms around the fertilized egg to prevent other sperm cells from entering. Except the egg and the sperm were alive, so life is not formed, nor do you have a living breathing human being, so a living breathing human being was not formed. What happened is that two humans shook hands ...genetically. From Legal Death, Legal Life, Personhood and Abortion (I am in the process of updating this for a new post, as there seems to be a cycle of interest in this topic):
quote: Only 1 in 5 of preemies born or removed by cesarean section survive at 24 weeks of gestation. I would not say that 24 weeks is a usable definition of viable human life, as it could be wrong 4 out of 5 times. Furthermore there is the issue of getting to that stage. From message 45 of that thread:
quote: (note to self for new version: that should be 85% of 45% = 38.25%) Now at 24 weeks of gestation we have 20% of 38% = 7.7% of conceptions being viable human beings. This means that less than 1 in 13 of conceptions can survive at 24 weeks of gestation. I would not say that conception is a usable definition of viable human life, as it could be wrong 12 out of 13 times. I compared this to setting the definition of human life at when an individual reaches 10 years of age. That too is arbitrary, but errs on the conservative side.
Stem cell research offers a lot of promises. It has the potential to cure many currently incurable diseases and injuries. In other words, it's weighing the benefits between the potential for life and life itself, which I think a fully human being would of course win out. Thus you already recognize the weakness of the "life begins at conception" argument - the zygote is not a fully human being.
No need to predict. I fully realize just how selfish people can be when it comes to their own benefits. It became rather personal for me after the above article was posted. See Cancer Survivors:
quote: Make that 7 going on 8 years of political stonewalling. As noted above there are presently two options - autogenic and allogenic transplants. I'd like to think I had one more option the next time I need it. Enjoy. we are limited in our ability to understand by our ability to understand RebelAAmericanOZen[Deist ... to learn ... to think ... to live ... to laugh ... to share.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
molbiogirl Member (Idle past 2662 days) Posts: 1909 From: MO Joined: |
My bad, RAZD. Thank you for setting me straight.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
teen4christ Member (Idle past 5819 days) Posts: 238 Joined: |
quote:That's one way of approaching it. quote:Don't get me wrong. If it were up to me, I'd make it possible so that every possible answer to helping and curing people that has even the least chance of delivering what it promises would be sort after. It doesn't mean I have to personally deep down like it. I will embrace it, nonetheless. quote:Well, I'm certainly glad you're here with us today
|
|
|
Do Nothing Button
Copyright 2001-2023 by EvC Forum, All Rights Reserved
Version 4.2
Innovative software from Qwixotic © 2024