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Scientists Clone Human Embryos To Make Stem Cells

Posted by samzenpus on from the me-an-the-other-me dept.

cyachallenge writes "Scientists say they have, for the first time, cloned human embryos capable of producing embryonic stem cells. 'We had to find the perfect combination,' Mitalipov says. As it turned out, that perfect combination included something surprising: caffeine. That ingredient, plus other tweaks in the process, including using fresh eggs and determining the optimal stage of each egg's development, Mitalipov says."

4 of 92 comments (clear)

  1. Breakfast? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    "using fresh eggs and caffeine"

    Sounds more like making breakfast than human cloning.

  2. Re:As we always suspected: by viperidaenz · · Score: 5, Funny

    insect...
    I've been watching too much game of thrones.

  3. Adult human skin cells by harlequinn · · Score: 5, Informative

    The Slashdot headline neglected to mention that they synthesised an embryo from adult human skin cells - so it's 100% genetically compatible with the donor.

  4. A cloned embryo is... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    ... just as much of a person as an embryo is.

    So if one has any sort of ethical dilemma with harvesting stem cells from embryos under the notion that such willful destruction of embryos is equivalent to premeditated homicide, this particular technique shouldn't make those people breathe any easier, and in fact, may be cause for them to scream even more outrage at the notion that, to use words they might throw around, "they are creating even more people to deliberately murder".