Vatican welcomes new stem cell advance

[bananas]

http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/articlenews.aspx?type=scienceNews&storyID=2007-01-09T142216Z_01_L0948679_RTRIDST_0_SCIENCE-VATICAN-STEMCELLS-DC.XML&WTmodLoc=NewsArt-L3-MoreNewsToday-3

Vatican welcomes new stem cell advance
Tue Jan 9, 2007 2:22 PM GMT

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - The Vatican on Tuesday welcomed a new way of extracting stem cells that does not use human embryos, calling it a significant advance that could help medical research without going against Roman Catholic beliefs.

Cardinal Javier Lozano Barragan, head of the Vatican's Pontifical Council for Health Pastoral Care, said the discovery showed medicine can progress without destroying human embryos.

U.S. researchers reported on Sunday that stem cells found in the amniotic fluid protecting babies in the womb were nearly as powerful as embryonic stem cells in producing adaptable cells that scientists hope can someday transform medicine.

The Catholic Church and other religious groups have been staunch critics of the most common method of stem cell research, which involves extracting cells from human embryos, because they believe such organisms are humans from the moment of conception.

<snip>

[Eugene]

1. The author of the amniotic study says that ebryonic stem cell research should continue.

House resumes stem cell research debate

By LAURIE KELLMAN, Associated Press Writer
2 hours, 29 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - The author of a study on amniotic stem cells urged Congress on Tuesday
not to consider his work a substitute for the search for disease-fighting material
from embryonic stem cells.

"Some may be interpreting my research as a substitute for the need to pursue other
forms of regenerative medicine therapies, such as those involving embryonic stem cells.
I disagree with that assertion," wrote Anthony Atala of Wake Forest University, the
author of a study published this week and widely seized upon by opponents of embryonic
stem cell research as a more moral option.

-snip-

Full article: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070109/ap_on_go_co/stem_cells

[hedgehog]

2. On the other hand, where are the posters who yesterday declared

that fundies would be rabidly against this?

[lovuian]

3. Good for the Pope

:woohoo:

[goforit]

4. Well, this is good news.

[sakabatou]

5. Well, this is good