Stem Cell Now: From the Experiment That Shook the World to the New Politics of Life - Hardcover

Scott, Christopher Thomas

3.8

135 ratings by Goodreads

9780131737983: Stem Cell Now: From the Experiment That Shook the World to the New Politics of Life

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0131737988 ISBN 13: 9780131737983

Publisher: Pi Press, 2005

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In 1998, researchers at the University of Wisconsin isolated human embryonic stem cells in the laboratory. They showed that these cells, which can become any kind of cell or tissue, could live and thrive outside the human body. This landmark discovery opened the door to a new era in biology and medicine and set off a furious political controversy that continues to make headlines today.

"Christopher Scott, a scientist with a journalist's skill at clear explanation has provided exactly what is needed in this book... a reliable, balanced, and thoughtful account of the biology of stem cells."

From the Foreword by Donald Kennedy, Editor of Science

"If you want to read one book about both the science and social impact of stem cell research, this is the book. It is crystal clear, candid and highly informative. It is terrific."

Michael Gazzaniga, author of The Ethical Brain

"Scott has provided a firmly grounded schooling in our current understandings and misunderstandings of how stem cell research may play out in creating new forms of therapy for currently untreatable diseases."

Paul Berg, Nobel laureate, author of Dealing with Genes

Laurie Zoloth, Director, Center for Bioethics, Northwestern University.

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Review:

"Probably the most lucid and readable primer on the science and politics of stem cells. Scott goes beyond the hype of instant cures and pro-life antagonism to present the true breadth of stem cell research." --Seed Magazine

"Illuminating reading for everyone who wants to understand a hot-button topic that will dominate the political, medical, and religious arenas for years to come." --Publishers Weekly

From the Back Cover:

THE STEM CELL IS SET TO DOMINATE POPULAR AWARENESS OF SCIENCE LIKE THE ATOM BOMB DID A GENERATION AGO. No area of science holds such immediate promise for treating disease and improving human lives as stem cell research. But no area of science also causes such fundamental ethical concern and such ferocious political conflict.

CHRISTOPHER SCOTT clarifies the science behind the stem cell revolution, from the landmark discovery of human embryonic stem cells to the latest research. He begins with how stem cells work, their role in the development and upkeep of the human body, and the differences between embryonic and adult stem cells. He then takes readers to the frontlines of this new science, introducing the men and women who are creating a new biotechnology and revealing their quests: Are there ultra-rare adult stem cells as powerful as embryonic stem cells? Can stem cells uncover the secrets of cancer, rendering it reversible? Can we transplant an immune system? How soon can we grow nerves and organs in the lab? The realm of possibility is exploding.

New science often provokes a redefinition of ethical standards. Stem cells have reignited the debate about the moral status of an embryo, and new rules are being created to govern the new technology. Scott clearly explains the arguments for and against the use of embryonic stem cells. He leaves the shrill rhetoric of both sides behind, leading readers through a discussion of the question at the heart of the debate: How, as a society, do we balance our responsibilities to the unborn and the sick?

As leading academics, doctors, businessmen, government leaders, and curious readers are finding, Stem Cell Now is the book to read on the most socially and culturally important scientific development of our time.

"The image on the cover of this book reminds me of Carl Sagan's Pale Blue Dot. Like Planet Earth, a single stem cell may well prove to be the starting point of a long and cosmic journey for humankind. Anyone who is interested in this journey (and its fascination should be universal) will find Stem Cell Now a solid and useful guide."
―Jonathan Weiner, Pulitzer-prize-winning author of The Beak of the Finch

"If you want to read one book about both the science and social impact of stem cell research, this is the book. It is crystal clear, candid, and highly informative. It is terrific."
―Michael S. Gazzaniga, Member of The President's Council on Bioethics, and author of The Ethical Brain

"By reducing complexity to simplicity without losing meaning, Scott provides a firmly grounded and well-illustrated schooling in our current understandings and misunderstandings of how stem cell research may play out in creating new forms of therapy for currently untreatable diseases. Scott enables readers to judge more meaningfully and effectively the conflicting opinions of the medical promise and ethical concerns that have dominated the public debates."
―Paul Berg, Nobel laureate, Stanford University, and author of Dealing with Genes

"In this engaging book, biologists give their first-hand accounts of why their work generates such passion and attention. If you need an introduction to the intricacies of stem cell science and some of the complex ethical arguments behind the debates, this is a fine place to begin."
―Laurie Zoloth, Director of the Center for Bioethics at Northwestern University, and co-editor of The Human Embryonic Stem Cell Debate:

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