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Another small step towards progress, another bit of knowledge added to the database of humanity. Different heart muscle cells were once thought to develop separately from different progenator cells, but recent findings at the Massachusetts General Hospital Cardiovascular Research Center indicate that all heart cells develop from a single stem cell line, later differentiating.

Huzzah... woop de f'n do. I feel that in some sense news reports like this are weak attempts to show "progress" from the reletively slowly advancing field of stem cell research. Although it cannot be denied that this technology is still in the research phase, I won't be particularly impressed by every little bit of new information released. First, show me how this fact can be applied towards curing heart disease, and then do it.


Master Cardiac Stem Cell Found That Could Form Both Muscle And Endothelial Lineages – Possible Treatment Or Cure Heart Attacks

Some commercial results of nanotechnology are causing a bit of an stir and the EPA is looking at methods to more closely regulate some of these products - in particular, nanosilver in household cleaners. Nanoparticles of silver work as an antibacterial agent, but are very efficient at killing cells and other forms of life as well. Accumulations of silver in clams or other aquatic life is another concern. Since many of these chemical household cleaners eventually end up back in the water supply, a mass poisoning of either people or the environment may be in store in the future. ]

Ironically, the EPA is having a hard time testing these products for safety or long term effects because of the high level of technology involved. Nanoscientists are still working on procedures to test nanosilver.

Nanotechnology impacts under UW staffs' microscopes

California's stem cell research has been running on rather limited funds. Two years ago, Proposition 71 approved 3 billion dollars in state bonds to go to the research. However, stem cell opponents took the state to court, locking up the money until the lengthy judicial process is complete. The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine has been barely functioning on donations during this process. On Monday, however, a bridge-fund 150 million dollar loan came to them through the general state fund.

Schwarzenegger definitely appears a strange left-footed republican. Aside from the approvals of homosexual marriage, Schwarzenegger has said the following about stem cell research -

"This lifesaving science gives the strongest possibility and hope to the patients suffering from chronic and deadly illnesses, such as diabetes, heart disease and cancer, that we will one day find a cure."

One is left wondering how he can leverage decent political support for any of his actions, but perhaps party politics don't apply as stringently in the movie star state of California.


State OKs Loan

Hwang Woo-Suk, the infamous embryonic stem cell researcher, has announced intentions of resuming his work on developing patient specific stem cell lines. His expressed desire to work again may be a form of contrition to the world and scientific community for the trouble caused by his fraudulent research claims that were uncovered just this year. However, he is currently standing trial for embezzlement and fraud, and may face 7 years of prison. Perhaps his intention is instead a form of desperation - could he plea bargain his way out of trial by promising research results? The obvious answer should be 'no', but there may be more going on than the news media currently understands - apparently Hwang has already somehow built a new research lab, despite being banned from conducting research.


Life News

So apparently stem cells don't only come from fertilized unborn embryos. Meaning that as usual, the media has made this particular area of science research look more evil than it has to be, although there are some differences between various types of stem cells. Stem cells can also come from adult bone marrow and adult blood, although they are much more rare in the blood stream than in the marrow. Even more useful is the discovery of stem cells in the umbilical cords of recently birthed children. These cords are traditionally discarded, but could provide valuable ways to get new sources of cell lines.

Genetics - stem cells sources

One of the target goals of nanotechnology is to produce a "matter compiler." This device is one of the key technologies required to make nanotechnology highly useful as opposed to highly speculative. Essentially, this matter compiler boils down to a molecular machine capable of accepting input or a "blueprint" from the human user, and then proceeding to build the described structure by accumulating and reassembling matter into the predesignated shape. The sci-fi extension of this means that we could manufacture products, buildings, chemicals, or ANYTHING made of matter with incredible accuracy, precision, and perhaps eventually speed. A skyscraper could be constructed, for example, by feeding all relevent design data for it into a set of matter compiling nanomachines, which would then go to work - and before your eyes, BAM, a skyscraper.

At the moment, it would seem that the UK is winning slightly in the race to develop the "matter compiler", but it doesn't seem that the US will be particularly disturbed if they succeed first. It will likely mean that the technology will filter next to the United States and save their own scientists some time and effort.


UK pulling ahead on nanotechnology matter compiler

The trouble with stem cells, though, is that they currently have to be harvested from human embryos, thus destroying the embryo. As a result, stem cell research has gotten tied up in the abortion debate. Are unborn embryos human? Is it murder to destroy one? To take it even further... Are we simply organic machines that grow and develop according to the environment, or do we have souls tied to our bodys that make us who we are? If we have souls, at what point does the soul enter the body? In other words, at what developmental point is an embryo or fetus "human?"

This is the question for me, personally... and I wish I knew the answer. Stem cell research and it's many potentials fascinate me, but I don't want eternal youth at the cost of thousands or millions of unborn children. In some sense, this becomes a "religious" debate.

It's a charged debate, with many interests coming into play. President Bush, although standing clearly against stem cell research in his 2000 election, has been pressured or swayed to fund research for the stem cell lines that have already been taken from embryos. As he puts it, only those stem cells "where a life-and-death decision has already been made."

Bush funds limited stem cell research

Some developing fields of technology seriously seem like science fiction these days. If someone says "eternal youth", you'd think "fairy tale," but depending on how stem cell research develops in the future, eternal youth might actually a reality for some of humanity. And certainly some people aren't taking this concept as a fairy tale.

South Korea struggles to discover secrets of eternal youth

South Korea, in fact, has actually invested over 20 million (in US dollars) over the next 10 years to develop "the secrets of eternal youth." Their government, worried over a low birth rate in their country and an aging population, aim to discover the way to extend youth and life, simultaneously hoping to become a world heavyweight in the biotech industry.

The notions of what stem cell research might be capable of are mind boggling. These cells, which appear in some developmental stages of human embryos, are undifferentiated cells that can develop into any kind of cell present in the body. This means in theoretical terms that cells and physical structures that ordinarily age and die could be gradually replaced by new cells with a new life span. Nerve cells in the brain, for example, do not regenerate. If stem cells were introduced into the brain, however, they could differentiate into new cells and replenish the stock of cells that eventually die as humans age. This same principle holds true for any cell anywhere in the body. IF a process could be developed, this could quite literally mean not only eternal youth, but eternal life, as your body would never age and die.

Science fiction? Perhaps no more than the Internet used to be.