My, this post comment section is quiet.

A blastocyst speaks.

As you no doubt know, a blastocyst is the moiety that attaches itself to the uterine wall a few day after fertilization. What is pictured here is a human fetus.

Valiant on October 25, 2006 at 4:07 PM

What is pictured here is a human fetus.

Valiant try, but a fetus does not have the right to speak.
Which is too bad, cuz I doubt if so many would choose to abort.

Marvin on October 25, 2006 at 4:15 PM

They should have gone with the moving video. Too bad.

Grunt2Jag on October 25, 2006 at 4:17 PM

mmmmmm scraaaapple … yum!

Tony737 on October 25, 2006 at 4:21 PM

Loved the video, and I hope someone finally gets an interview with Michael J. Embryo.

DannoJyd on October 25, 2006 at 5:00 PM

Here’s my question: is a stem cell a stem cell, regardless of whether it comes from an embryo or an adult or cord-blood source?
OK, here’s the answer.

I think the fetus is fair game for the add, especially since there are outright factual innaccuracies in the MJFox ad- stem cell research wouldn’t be criminalized, but cloning for the purpose would. A victim’s a victim. If they’re willing to play the infallibility card they’d better prepare for being hit with it themselves.

NTWR on October 25, 2006 at 5:18 PM

And then blammo!

“We decided to go with the still photo,” said an unnamed Institute spokesman, “because we didn’t want to beat people over the head with the obvious, or give them false hopes that a cure would be found for abortion.”

That, Ladies and Gents, is how biting satire is done.

Pablo on October 25, 2006 at 5:55 PM

Now that kid can play the victim card :) That baby sure is cute :) He makes a good point too.

wytammic on October 25, 2006 at 6:50 PM

“I twitch uncontrollably also. Many of you have felt it. And I am opposed to embryonic stem cell research.”

HerrMorgenholz on October 25, 2006 at 8:48 PM

Gotta love Scrappleface. It just keeps getting better.

ITmonkey on October 25, 2006 at 10:30 PM

Valiant try, but a fetus does not have the right to speak.

You are wrong. One Conner Peterson, not due to be born for two months, was able posthumously to send his “father” to Death Row in California. Scott Peterson would not have received the death penalty (due to Special Circumstance of two murder victims) were Conner not considered a human being.

Nancy on October 26, 2006 at 12:00 AM

Once again, just an amazing AJ Strata ’strats-sphere.com’ blog post. The guy is an unstoppable analysist and digger up of profound viewpoints and knowledge.

It’s about the effectiveness (none) of embryonic stem cell treatments versus adult (huge) and the reason why adult stem cell research works, but embryonic doesn’t. Gotta read it.

Everyone, you should add this blog to your daily reading and recommend it to your friends. Hot Air has great content, truly. Yet AJ Strata is top notch and you deny yourself much knowledge by not adding it to your rounds.

Christoph on October 26, 2006 at 2:15 AM

Here’s my question: is a stem cell a stem cell, regardless of whether it comes from an embryo or an adult or cord-blood source?
{A HREF=http://stemcells.nih.gov/info/basics/basics5.aspOK,} here’s the answer.{/A} by NTWR on October 25, 2006 at 5:18 PM

The statement made in that article incorrect!

Here is what the site stated: “Embryonic stem cells can become all cell types of the body because they are pluripotent. Adult stem cells are generally limited to differentiating into different cell types of their tissue of origin. However, some evidence suggests that adult stem cell plasticity may exist, increasing the number of cell types a given adult stem cell can become.”

I will explain below.

The word “embryo” is merely a term used so that scientists can talk among themselves and know what they are talking about and what they mean. The embryo stage includes the time of conception-fertilization until the eight week post conception-fertilization. The fetal stage extends from the ninth week post fertilization (pf) until term-birth.

The embryo goes through rapid cell division and growth, which is what embryo means, “rapid one.” By three weeks post fertilization gestation (pf), baby has a detectable heart beat. By six weeks gestation (pf), baby has detectable brain waves. By the end of her eighth week (pf), baby has all her organs already formed. The remainder of her life within mother’s womb will allow her organs to mature. I illustrate just a small amount of developmental stages in order to illustrate that this “embryo” is not a “blob of cells” or mere goo to play with in a lab, but she is a real, living, full and complete
member of the human race, not a “potential human” or Potential life,” but an already fully alive and living human being, a human person.

The statement that in the article that embryo stem cells are pluripotent and adult cells are not is false.

Please note, also, that many people attempt to install “delayed hominization” on the new human being. That means, they deny the human status of the new person, and claim that this status is delayed until an arbitrary time of their choosing, thus ignoring scientific fact, and shoehorning the human status of the baby into the realm of philosophy and theology, not science and facts.

Stem cells can range from totipotent, with the ability to become any cell in the human body, including the ability to become a new, completely human person, another embryo, to pluripotent, which occurs in human embryos as they mature, as well as infants, toddlers, and adult human beings.

The early human embryo has mainly totipotent cells. That means, they are mostly not differentiated yet, that they can become any cell in the human body. The totipotent cells of the human embryo can separate during cleavage-cell division and become another human embryo, called ” monozygotic twinning.”

What that means is that the cells of the human embryo have the ability to form a whole new, completely human person, a monozygotic twin. Because of this those cells are not totally pluripotent. They have the ability to regenerate, or go back to becoming a whole new person. In fact, twinning can and does take place even after fourteen days (pf).

Pluripotent cells are somewhat differentiated and they can become several different kinds of cells. Pluripotent cells develop in the embryo as she develops, especially around the blastocyst stage, into the fetal stage, at which point the cells are more clearly pluripotent, into the infant stage, and up to the adult stage. Pluripotent stem cells are found in umbilical cord blood, placenta, bone marrow, the digestive system, and elsewhere in the body. These pluripotent cells do exist in the adult body.

The fact that adult stem cells are pluripotent is not stated in the article linked to.

Frankly, the side pushing Human Embryo Stem Cell Research is selling lies, fabrications, false science, inaccurate science - inaccurate scientific terms, and getting away with it. Furthermore, the public appears to be undereducated in the science of Human Embryology, biology, microbiology, and genetics, and has fallen for this snake oil salesmanship. I have read scientifically inaccurate statements credited to PhDs and heads of University departments in which specifically inaccurate and false statements regarding the human embryo and stem cells are stated. Imagine, if these people are educated and hold degrees in the sciences, inlcuding micro-biology, genetics, etc,. and they get it wrong, how can anyone expect the public to be properly informed?

Now many so-called reputable organizations, politicians, Hollywood celebrities, and the main stream news media, have stripped the scientifically factual humanity of the human person in the embryo stage, the fetal stage, and even beyond, and made it disappear.

Now people support HESCR (Human Embryo Stem Cell Research) based on false science and false beliefs, as well as the promise that HESCR offers “great promise.”

Just replace HESCR with Infant Body Part Research offers Great Promise. How does that sound?

Don’t think that people would fall for that also?

If someone thought that it would cure their loved one, himself, or if it would make money “legally,” or if it could be sold as being for “the greater good” don’t you think it would fly?

The human embryo, fetus, infant, toddler, child, teenager, adult, senior, and so on, are all the same person. We merely pass through a continuum in our lives from a tiny person who is very new and immature, to an old person who is often is about as dependent as an infant.

One most important voice which has been ignored in the topic of human embryo stem cell research - human adult stem cell research, are those who really understand the science, Human Embryologists.

While the Human Embryologists, those who study human embryonic and fetal development, and even the time prior the that, the time of sex germ cell development, of gametogenesis, oogenesis, and so forth, are ignored, those who have an agenda, pockets to line, and political ambitions to fulfill, those who sell this snake oil of HESCR, those who make up their own definitions and “scientific” terminology - false terminology, are the people that the public are listening too and being misguided down the path of ethical depravity and the devaluing of a human being’s life, that of the tiny human embryo, as well as the false hope for miracle cures that will not save them from death.

As some have stated in this section, HESCR has been used in human subjects with devastating results, and have resulted in cancerous cells and excrutiating pain for subjects.

As with proposition 71 in California, it appears that biogenics-stem cell labs, and special interests, are mainly interested in siphining more taxpayer funds for another pie in the sky hope, and they are selling false information, and dehumanizing the new human person, the human embryo, in order to achieve that end.

The term “adult stem cells” refers to cells which exist in fetuses, infants, umbilical cord blood, placenta tissue, toddlers, and adults. In other words, humans who have passed the early embryonic stage, or who have been born, and tissue from those humans. So, when you hear the words “adult stem cells” please don’t be confused and think it means only people who are old. They have been used in more than 70 different treatments and cures.

Let us see more resolve and enthusiasm for adult stem cell research, and other, more viable and ethical medical goals, and a return to respect for human life so that we don’t use, abuse, and destroy even the tiniest among us for personal gain.

William

William2006 on October 26, 2006 at 8:37 AM

I enjoyed the video of Michael J. Embryo (Who appears to be a in the fetal stage in the image, not in the embryo stage.)

Unfortunately, there are so-called conservatives who also support farming human embryos and using them for lab rats and cure alls for whatever ails ya.

William

William2006 on October 26, 2006 at 10:05 AM

William- THANK YOU so much for clarifying. I’ve been asking the question all over with no great response. I (foolishly) thought the NIH, government article would be thorough. Thank you for articulating what I’ve believed.

Adult stem cells and cord blood cells don’t destroy life. That’s where our federal research dollars should go. Let the private sector invest in HESCR, let Capitalism do its job.

Since I’ve got a “fetus” currently wreaking havoc on my body, I cannot understand the “blob of cells” excuse for toying with life. The physiological changes that occured instantaneously for me proved that there is much more going on than just “blobs of cells” dividing. A tumor can progress for months without causing nausea, food aversions, rapid heartbeat, etc.-not true (in many cases) with a baby.

This tricky science is perfectly suited for a democrat talking point. First, dumb down the education system until many Americans can’t understand scientific research (especially the youngest batch of voters, who usually trend left), then throw some junk science at them along with a heart-string pulling celebrity victim and tell them how to vote. Truly insidious…

NTWR on October 26, 2006 at 1:34 PM

This is important to consider when people make claims that only human embryo stem cells offer real promise, thus ignoring adult stem cells.

BTW, who does that? Is there anyone out there arguing against doing ASC research or is that 100% strawman?

Pablo on October 26, 2006 at 2:53 PM

Given that embryonic stem cells are so easily cultured, is a vast supply of embryos really required? Is the originally authorized lines of ESCs still around? Are studies involving them federally funded?

If pluripotent cells can go for 6+ months without differentiating, at what stage do pluripotent cells cease to exist in the natural development of a human?

Kevin on October 26, 2006 at 6:02 PM

Given that embryonic stem cells are so easily cultured, is a vast supply of embryos really required?

Not really, no. This is where the slippery slope argument fails for me. There isn’t going to be an enormous demand for new lines, as long as there are enough good lines available.

Is the originally authorized lines of ESCs still around? Are studies involving them federally funded?

Yes and yes. There are a number of issues, from ownership (remember, all of the existing lines Bush authorized had been developed privately) to contamination, etc…

Bush authorized that work in 2001. ESC’s were only first identified in 1998. We’ve learned quite a bit more about them and how to cultivate them since. Those in the know say the authorized lines aren’t sufficient, for the aforementioned reasons. They need more lines, but they don’t need a flow of embryos snatched from unsuspecting women on the street.

The other important thing to note, which I haven’t seen mentioned, is that there are now quite a number of other lines available that can be obtained and used for research without giving an embryo so much as a sideways look. But if they aren’t on the original list of lines, you can’t get NIH funding to work with them. So, you have a list of some of the established lines, all of which predate 9/2001, and a whole bunch more that already exist but have been created after 9/01 with the knowledge gained from several years experience in this work. If you’re looking for NIH funding, you can only do your work with the lines on the old, small list.

Pablo on October 26, 2006 at 7:39 PM

Thanks for your knowledgable responses, Pablo! :) I’m curious how many embryos the old lines correspond to. I’m also curious how, why, and when the case will arise where the old lines will be insufficient for further research. At that point, and depending upon other factors, it might make sense to allow in a limited number of more lines, as Bush did before.

Cord blood stem cells are still relatively primative, and they’re still around at birth.
Pablo on October 26, 2006 at 7:57 PM

Yeah, but they’re hematopoietic rather than pluripotent, right?

Kevin on October 26, 2006 at 11:25 PM

Yeah, but they’re hematopoietic rather than pluripotent, right?

I’m not really up to speed on the cord blood cell details, but I don’t believe they’re that far down the differentiation trail. My understanding is that they’re much more versatile than bone marrow ASC’s are, but not quite as ESC’s. Exactly where that lands them on the potency scale, I don’t know.

Pablo on October 27, 2006 at 5:01 AM