Interesting bit on 60 minutes last night

[ewelin]

There was an interesting bit on 60 minutes last night... they showed a lab in California where stem cell research is being conducted. They showed a piece on a mouse whose hind legs were useless because it was paralyzed. but now it could walk because of the use of stem cells. The stem cells were used to replace the damaged spinal cells allowing the brain to send the message to the legs to become functional once again. I gotta say it was pretty interesting... sure it's just a mouse but man i dunno if i like this or not....

[Tynan19]

Why wouldn't you like that? That is pretty incrediable and I am sure it gives hope to millions who suffer from parylization.

[ewelin]

well that is cool and extremely amazing!!! but where does it go from here???

[Tynan19]

I quess it is the same as taking a face off of a human and transferring it to another. Now that scares me.

[ewelin]

yeah that's pretty freaky... I always think of the movie FaceOff when i hear about that happening...

[HVMDesign]

I think that's amazing. I am looking forward to the improvements stem cell research can to do ruined human lives.

[mwelin]

I think that's amazing. I am looking forward to the improvements stem cell research can to do ruined human lives.

I read this as "I am looking forward to the improvements stem cell research can to do to ruin human lives." :roll:

There is some really amazing stem cell work going on in China. Someone I know from another board has a son-in-law who is paralyzed and has been in a wheel chair for years and he went to China for stem cell surgery last fall. He has seen some significant improvement since then. He's gained 2 levels of sensation (from C7 to T2.) He can now lift his arms over his head which he couldn't do before, he can breath better, he is considered to have normal function in his right leg and at last report he was experiencing some changes in his left leg as well.

While they were there (in Beijing for almost a month) they met people from all over Europe and a few other Americans who were being treated for lots of different diseases...there was a 12 year old girl with ALS, a man with a condition that left him legally blind and another man who'd been paralyzed. The little girl was in very grave condition but the man with blindness had surgery and was having clearer vision and the other paralyzed man was WALKING with braces!

Her son-in-law can expect to see continued improvement for up to 18 months and he's back in the US now getting physical therapy to get as many benefits from it as possible. It's pretty amazing stuff...

There is a certain level of potential creepiness to all science and always has been that's why the U.S. has to get rid of these freaking evangelical/reactionary Christian politicians and allow this sort of study to continue with proper supervision.

[Tynan19]

The only problem I see from science is that it is keeping people alive longer. This is leading to overpopulation in areas that can't support it. The environment is getting ruined at a devistating pace also. I am no treehugger but It does hurt to see forests that I once hiked in getting cut down for a 100 homes.

[mwelin]

The only problem I see from science is that it is keeping people allive longer. This is leading to overpopulation in areas that can't support it. The environment is getting ruined at devistating pace also. i am no treehugger but It does hurt to see forests that I once hiked in getting cut down for a 100 homes.

I couldn't handle turning 150 or some such nonsense. Hell, 30 made me want to crawl under a rock, lmao.

[strangeland2]

The only problem I see from science is that it is keeping people allive longer. This is leading to overpopulation in areas that can't support it. The environment is getting ruined at devistating pace also. i am no treehugger but It does hurt to see forests that I once hiked in getting cut down for a 100 homes.

i agree and there has to come a time when scientist draw the line and let natural selection run its course ...natural those of us that arent effected by the medical advances say this though maybe it would be different if it was one of our own kids that would benefit from something as radical as stem cell research?

[Tynan19]

Well put.

[ewelin]

yeah... very well said strangeland2

[TrippleTripple]

Yep, well said strangeland. Stem cell research can defiantly be scary especially if your talking about cloning! I just wonder if a human has been cloned?

[strangeland2]

i guess yes a human has been cloned or atleast they ve started what ever process it takes to clone...

with all the stuff the government spills i think its still only about a 1/16th of all the things that are really going on...reguardless of how free a country is the government will still only let you know what they want you to know... a bit of a conspiracy theory i know but just the way i see it...

my example... my fellow massholes probably heard on the news the last few days that mass is riddled with all kind of unknown labs. that fire departments arent even aware of... so out of all those labs whos to say whats actually going on in there? btw they came to light after a fire company responded to one of these labs and didnt follow proper decon. and i think 6 of them have already died of cancer and several more are currently battling the disease. heard on the news one firefighter even washed his helmet in the firehouse sink ... there was mention of radiation contamination on his helmet

[mwelin]

i guess yes a human has been cloned or atleast they ve started what ever process it takes to clone...

with all the stuff the government spills i think its still only about a 1/16th of all the things that are really going on...reguardless of how free a country is the government will still only let you know what they want you to know... a bit of a conspiracy theory i know but just the way i see it...

my example... my fellow massholes probably heard on the news the last few days that mass is riddled with all kind of unknown labs. that fire departments arent even aware of... so out of all those labs whos to say whats actually going on in there? btw they came to light after a fire company responded to one of these labs and didnt follow proper decon. and i think 6 of them have already died of cancer and several more are currently battling the disease. heard on the news one firefighter even washed his helmet in the firehouse sink ... there was mention of radiation contamination on his helmet

If there is funky science going on, it's going on in MA. MA is a center of biotech activity...that's why MA passed that stem cell research bill last year. The state can't afford to be unfriendly to these companies. I'm totally not surprised that there are "secret" labs.