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Functional Neurons Created From Adult Somatic Cells

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the this-sounds-important dept.

mmmscience writes "Researchers at UCLA have accomplished a task that has long vexed stem cell researchers: They've created the first electronically active neurons from induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells. This is a great leap forward for stem cell researchers, who can apply these neurons to the study of neurodegenerative diseases."

11 of 147 comments (clear)

  1. Science will find a way... by TheKidWho · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I'm sure a century ago "neurologists" would have stated that the study of these diseases would have been impossible without cutting up a few people and performing experiments on them...

  2. How long was I in there? by COMON$ · · Score: 4, Insightful
    Why aren't we Funding this?!

    Sorry for the flame, But wow, it turns out you don't need to run the pissing matches with the pro life activists to get things done.

    --
    CS: It is all sink or swim...oh and did I mention there are sharks in that water?
    1. Re:How long was I in there? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Current science is only about pissing matches with ideologists especially those that are majority Christian. Or at least that is how you get attention in current science. Recently something snapped and the goal of learning about the universe was pushed back behind the goal of proving religion wrong.

    2. Re:How long was I in there? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Pro tip: Scientific research also occurs outside of 'MERICA.

    3. Re:How long was I in there? by Jawn98685 · · Score: 1, Insightful

      Recently something snapped and the goal of learning about the universe was pushed back behind the goal of proving religion wrong.

      Sad, but true, but probably not for the reasons you think. That scientists are forced to pay attention to the rantings of religious zealots is an artifact of having let those zealots gain a voice in politics. It is through those politics that a significant portion of the funding for scientific research is granted. When religious ideology gains the force of law, as it very clearly did under the last presidential administration here in The States, those who pursue knowledge and reason are unavoidably enjoined in a battle with the religious ideologues, whose primacy is threatened by knowledge and reason. Well, I suppose it is avoidable, if we are willing to walk away from the means that support the actual process of learning how our world works. In the Swat region of Pakistan, they (the religious zealots) take a much more direct approach, burning the schools and beheading the teachers and other "heretics". I'd rather it didn't come to that, so if scientists have to spend part of their time pointing out how stupid this or that made-up religious stricture is, I'll back their play.

    4. Re:How long was I in there? by thedonger · · Score: 4, Insightful

      You have missed the point entirely. The Point, not just a point. The zealots, as you call them, have just as much right as anyone to voice an opinion, and the average man on the street has the same right to believe it. Idealists from both ends of the spectrum exist, and while the overwhelming majority of Americans do not fall directly in line behind those of any ilk, we have all allowed the vocal minority to take over the conversation.

      Today's secret phrase is Rational Discourse. Now we just have to figure out where Speaker Pelosi has hidden it...

      --
      Help fight poverty: Punch a poor person.
    5. Re:How long was I in there? by homesnatch · · Score: 2, Insightful
      Did anyone read the article or even summary? These are from adult cells, not embryonic stem cells. There is no controversy about this type of research.

      The only problems with this type of research is the retards that don't understand the difference and just jump at the words "stem cells" (on both sides of the issue)

    6. Re:How long was I in there? by PortHaven · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Retraction....misread your post.

      Yes, science has somehow lost the beauty of discovery and become ideological and political.

      Atheism != Science

      Science is distinct from both Atheism and Religion. It is a tool, both may use...or both may ignore. And both do a lot of both!

    7. Re:How long was I in there? by Jawn98685 · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Maybe scientists need to stop being so arrogant and err on the side of caution and sanctity of life.

      Especially, if there is no real reason present necessitating doing otherwise.

      Why is caution indicated?
      Warning - that's a trick question, designed to bait the unwitting into citing some religious principle as an authoritative source of what may or may not be the best approach to a given problem. You weren't really going to fall into that trap, were you?

      Also, your assertion that there is "no real reason" for (I assume that we're still talking about) stem cell research is flawed at it's base. There are innumerable reasons to pursue this and many other avenues of medical research.

    8. Re:How long was I in there? by COMON$ · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Outside of a theology degree, a CS degree, leading several bible studies, married to a woman with her MS in Genetics, about to get her PharmD, 3 of my closest friends are MDiv.... I know nothing of science and theology. What I do know is that in science you should start agnostic to get a good feel for the experiment. If you hypothesize and expect certain results that is one thing, but to say "I WILL get these results" is an entirely different scenario. Just because you are an academic in religious studies in no way makes you right or an expert, nor does a theology degree make me an expert. I personally favor Christianity, so does my wife. When doing scientific experiments she set aside her religious beliefs and accepted what happened rather than what priests/pastors tell her should happen. Oddly enough, for her the two never conflicted. Unfortunately for atheists, if all the evidence points to a set of aliens being our God or that we live in a space time bubble created by His noodliness then they will refuse and try different experiments, or they would not be atheists because they are willing to accept the idea that there is a god. There is NO WAY logically in any philosophical debate that you can disprove or prove God, it is impossible, therefore atheism is just as much a religion and based on faith as any deity based belief.

      --
      CS: It is all sink or swim...oh and did I mention there are sharks in that water?
  3. In preparation for the inevitable comments by JoshuaZ · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Pretty soon the people not in favor of using embryonic stem research will likely join this thread and start talking about how we can just use adult cells and how that means we should never do any research on embryonic stem cells. However, this research, like most research involving adult stem cells, relied on prior work with embryonic stem cells. This sort of research is only doable because of embryonic stem cell research.