When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro. - Hunter S. Thompson

23 March 2006

Special Reports: 10 Emerging Technologies

The MIT Technology Review has a great special report in the March/April 2006 issue about ten emerging technologies, ranging from "epigenetics" to "cognitive radio" (that last one would be a great name for a band.)

Hey, here's a smart fellow who thinks he may have figured out an end-run around the stem-cell controversy:

Embryonic stem cells may spark more vitriolic argument than any other topic in modern science. Conservative Christians aver that the cells' genesis, which requires destroying embryos, should make any research using them taboo. Many biologists believe that the cells will help unlock the secrets of devastating diseases such as Parkinson's and multiple sclerosis, providing benefits that far outweigh any perceived ethical harm.

Markus Grompe, director of the Oregon Stem Cell Center at Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, hopes to find a way around the debate by producing cloned cells that have all the properties of embryonic stem cells -- but don't come from embryos.

Special Reports: 10 Emerging Technologies (MIT Technology Review)

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