In this student-run
Science in the News seminar, Harvard Medical School graduate students
discuss the known facts, and the associated ethical issues, surrounding
the newsworthy topics of stem cells and cloning.
Starting with the distinguishing features of stem cells -- their
ability to differentiate and to self-renew -- the students
explore these unique cells' natural histories in the body; their
potential applications in research, and the policy debates they
engender.
The students also delve into the related field of cloning with its
potential in the lab, for individual reproduction and in the treatment
of diseases; and its concomitant ethical dilemmas. Finally, the students
tackle questions emerging from these new areas of science, ranging
from stem cells' longevity to cloning's "profit motive."
