your thoughts on stem cell research

[uberdark]

was watching michael j. fox this morning on the news and got to thinking this would be a good topic to discuss. i am for it personally. the first hospital we had our first child at would not let us keep his umbilicial because it was a religious funded church. the second church allowed us to keep our childs umbilical cord because it was not.

what are your feelings on this matter? when is it too much or are we beginning to play god?

personally i am for it. it could have been research that could have helped my ailing grandfather from alzheimers disease. and for those of you who have watched a loved one die from this, i wonder if you agree.

can of worms ......now open.....

 

[BarstoolProphet]

Man\'s been playing god for a lot longer than this kind of research has been about, I think. As long as it doesn\'t go the Christopher Reeve/Hack-Man route that South Park portrayed, we probably aren\'t any more doomed than we are by any other things we do.

 

[skeeve]

what is stem cell?

 

[Dragonsreach]

Originally by Uberdark
your thoughts on stem cell research?

Mixed.
Confused.
And in some respects unhappy about the moral implications it raises and their descriptions/explanation touted in the media.

I also have grave misgivings about the moral capability/maturity of our species to not mis-use this and other artificially developed/adapted cells.

 

[uberdark]

Originally posted by Dragonsreach

Originally by Uberdark
your thoughts on stem cell research?

Mixed.
Confused.
And in some respects unhappy about the moral implications it raises and their descriptions/explanation touted in the media.

I also have grave misgivings about the moral capability/maturity of our species to not mis-use this and other artificially developed/adapted cells.

what do you think are the moral/maturity issues we face by conducting this research? what if we find a way to clone stem cells? does that make it less harsh a way of doing it or does it become another pandora\'s box by using the building blocks of life to \"clone\" human beings?

would love to hear your opinions.

edit: also what about cloning organs, or other parts of the body. or a whole body for that matter without the brain. is it a person or is it just a piece of tissue.

 

[Avelorn]

Yes mixed.

There are almost limitless opportunities... and curing some horrible diseases aren\'t that far away. My cousin has MS.. such a great guy... such a disheartening disease.

But what happens when a small percentage of the population can genetically engineer themselves. Job competition? New ruling class? An increasing gap between rich and poor - even more unequal opportunities.

Any legislation must be very well thought through to deal with potential issues.

 

[supervike]

I think you should define more about what you are discussing.

Adult Stem cells, and it\'s research, from what I understand, are funded by the US Government, and has led to many treatments and a few breakthroughs.

Embryonic Stem cells require the destruction of the Embryo, haven\'t led to any treatments after all this time.

Since there is controversy about the destruction of Embryonic Stem cells, especially from the Anti-abortionists, the issue is clouded and confusing for most \'average folks\'.

The cloning issue also exists, and that is the most troubling of all. I don\'t know how I feel about that, it\'s too big to really understand the implications.

 

[Gilvan Blight]

This makes me want to watch Gattica when I get home.

Personally I\'m of the Theory that we are in an era of Technological Darwinism. Humans Biologically have stopped evolving, or at least have stopped evolving through Darwin\'s theories. Without getting into it, people who should be \'passed over\' aren\'t and people who should \'pass away\' don\'t. What we do have though is an evolution of the species through technology. Diseases that couldn\'t be cured, can. Atheletes today outperform those of the past due to the medicine and technology they use for training. Etc. I personally think Gene alteration, cloning etc, is the next step on the evolutionary ladder for us.

Note: hopefully this doesn\'t re-start the whole evolutionary debate again. That was not my intention.

 

[Avelorn]

@Gilvan Blight:

I think you are making the assumption that there is a specific target or direction with evolution say superior strength, intelligence or whatever. We might just have climbed the evolutionary ladder through our social skills and ability to relate to each other as much as any opposable thumbs. We don\'t know what trait that makes us survive or demise in the future. It might not be a very noble trait either. There are several occasions were \"simpler\" species proliferated at the cost of more advanced ones.

 

[green stuff]

Message original : supervike
Adult Stem cells, and it\'s research, from what I understand, are funded by the US Government, and has led to many treatments and a few breakthroughs.

I know you didn\'t mean it to read as is Jim, but I\'d just like to point out that research is in this field is made in most modern countries, not just the USA .

Message original : Gilvan Blight
Humans Biologically have stopped evolving, or at least have stopped evolving through Darwin\'s theories.

I\'d say it\'s slowed down more than really stopped. It\'s true that modern science enables a lot of people to live longer than what they could have expected and some that would have died of illness or physical damages before are able to reproduce and so transmit their genes to the next generation. But that doesn\'t mean that humans don\'t do their own selection anymore (with whatever criteria suits them). Plus DNA mutation is part of the creation of ovules and spermatozoids.

[edit]And what Sven said right above .[/edit]

@uberdark : where\'s the pole ?

 

[PegaZus]

I personally think stem cell research will yield very few breakthroughs, both in regards to adult and fetal stem cells. I\'ve felt for a long time that the seriously useful work will come from learning how to WRITE DNA like a computer programming language, to make it do what we want it to do.

I personally can\'t wait for my GeneWriter 2000. I\'ve always wanted a Sunburst Yellow rat with sucker feet capable of running around the ceiling. Maybe with some red frilled mane around its neck, too. Probably program it to instinctively use a regular toilet as well.

 

[wiccanpony]

not so much a can-of-worms, as a tanker truck load....

first: I’m for it, at the moment it holds the best chance of a cure for MD

two: no matter how anyone feels, stem cell research will go on, if not in the US then else where.

 

[supervike]

Originally posted by green stuff
[I know you didn\'t mean it to read as is Jim, but I\'d just like to point out that research is in this field is made in most modern countries, not just the USA .

Wait a second....

Are you saying there are other modern countries?

Holy shit!! I thought we were the only ones. :beer:

(nicely pointed out, I did NOT mean it that way!)

 

[Dragon Forge Design]

I\'m all for it.. In my opinion there to many more \"What ifs\' than \"Why Nots\" to not actively research. As Vike pointed out there\'s much more advancement in Adult Stem Cell research than fetal so there should be no reason not to fund that research.

 

[Avelorn]

And in undeveloped countries as well.

Mr. President! We must not allow a stem cell gap!

 

[Gilvan Blight]

Originally posted by Avelorn
@Gilvan Blight:

I think you are making the assumption that there is a specific target or direction with evolution.

I am making the assumption that there is a specific target: survival. It doesn\'t have to be strength, but it does have to lead to proliferation and growth of the species. This could be through strength, it could be through force of arms, it could be through social development and globalization. I\'m not pointing to one specific technilogical advance, just tech. advancement vs biological advancement in general.

@Green Stuff - I do agree, slowed may be a better way to put it. Again I was stating things as simply as possible so as to not open up the whole evolution debate again.

 

[L.E.J.]

might b \"off the ball\" here a little bit but stem cell research is before the cell has become \"specialised\" and then looking to influence this?
personally i think the benefits outweigh the disadvantages (which i cant think of to be honest) as the chances to cure certain diseases has to be beneficial.
a friend passed away not so long ago with MND and this research could go on to replace the nerve cells affected which has to be good, no?

 

[Thecadian]

As far as i can remember stem cells from embryos havent yet specialised and as a result can be used to create anyother cell and as an extension of that any body part or organ for example.

cells from adults have already specialised in some way and arent as adaptable to the needs of the people manipulating them.

 

[Aliengod3]

I figure that if a person is going to get an abortion, and the stem cells are ripe for the taking, then RECYCLE!

I watched a video in one of my biology classes about people with a certain ailment, I forgot what it was, but they were unable to move their bodies. It was not paralysis but something else. Anyways, they did brain surgery and put stem cells from a fetus in their brains and 10% of the cells are able to become the necessary brain cell and the people were able to move again.

 

[freakinacage]

Originally posted by L.E.J.

personally i think the benefits outweigh the disadvantages (which i cant think of to be honest) as the chances to cure certain diseases has to be beneficial.

what he said