Friday, April 13, 2007

1. STEM CELLS: PRESIDENT BUSH VOWS TO PROTECT ONE-CELLED PEOPLE.

The Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act passed the Senate 63-34, but President Bush promises a veto. He said the use of embryonic stem cells in research "crosses a moral line." In case you're wondering where this "moral line" is drawn, WN has looked into it. George W. Bush and other conservative theologians believe a "soul" is assigned to the fertilized egg at the instant of conception. That makes it a person, even though it's not counted in the census. In-vitro fertilization makes a lot more of these one-celled people than it needs; leftovers are stacked in the freezer until it starts filling up. President Bush cares deeply about these helpless one-celled people and wants to ensure they are properly flushed down the disposal rather than exploited by godless scientists interested only the reduction of suffering.

2. DIABETES: STEM CELL THERAPY IS USED TO TREAT TYPE 1 DIABETES.

In yesterday's Wash Post, Sen. Orin Hatch (R-UT), a long-time proponent of stem cell research, is quoted as saying, "Our country is in grave danger of falling behind in one of the most promising fields of biomedical research." We already have. In a very preliminary study, researchers at the University of Sao Paolo in Brazil found that a remarkable 14 out of 15 type 1 diabetes sufferers were freed of dependence on insulin injections after treatment with stem cells drawn from their own blood.

3. SHUTTLE: SETTING A NEW AMERICAN RECORD FOR FLAG-POLE SITTING.

By delaying the launch of the hail-dinged shuttle Atlantis until June, NASA has given Astronaut Sunita Williams a shot at the coveted American record for continuous time in space. The record will be set by Michael Lopez-Alegria next week when he returns to Earth on the Russian Soyuz. The delay didn't bother Williams, who told reporters, "I have lots to do up here." Maybe she could run another marathon. But how do you run in zero-g anyway?

4. "NOR ANY DROP TO DRINK": SIGNS OF WATER ON EXTRA-SOLAR PLANET.

There's not likely to be a beach, and its 150 light-years away, but Hubble measurements of a star named HD 209458b have been interpreted as evidence of water in the atmosphere of a planet that passes in front of the "Sun-like" star every 3.6 days. The real significance is the possibility of someday being able to study the atmospheres of extra-solar planets for signs of life.

5. GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE: COOLING DOWN THE IPCC WARMING REPORT.

The assessment of the impact of global warming issued by the IPCC last Friday, grim though it was, had actually been toned down in the final negotiations in Brussels at the insistence of the U.S. and China. According to the NY Times, Bush's top environmental advisor told reporters that the report "reinforces" the policies of the administration. Without population control measures, however, no other policies will help in the long run.

Bob Park can be reached via email at whatsnew@bobpark.org
THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND
Opinions are the author's and are not necessarily shared by the University, but they should be.