To those of us observing the advance of medical science from the sidelines - via the press, the scientific journals, our connections, and vague memories of being part of the scientific process ourselves at some point in time - progress is simultanously blisteringly fast and frustratingly slow. How can this be the case?
First the fast of it. The most advanced, most promising medical science is now tied to computer speeds and chip sizes, to the computer revolution. Bioinformatics and labs-on-a-chip mean that ever more biotechnology can be done ever faster and at an ever lower cost. The Internet and data mining methods mean that new advances are never consigned to isolation; if an advance published somewhere, any scientist can find it and improve on it. It is not uncommon to see the following sequence of events in medical science these days:
I have not one but two friends-- Shelley Stefonic,age 40, and Manina, in her 30's (in fact, honorary sisters)--with MS. Without stem cell therapeutic cloning (somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT)) sooner or later they'll probably have increasing medical problems. (Although I kind of doubt it, at least in the short term). They might (but probably won't) die before their time. I sure as heck hope not! I had the special letter from the CAMR site faxed 7 times! That's why it is of utmost importance that we all speak out ASAP!!! Tell those poor politicians we mean business!!! And let's all get happy (ier) and on with it!
The CAMR (Coalition for the Advancement of Medical Research) website, for reference, is:
http://www.camradvocacy.org
The site offers a number of easy, useful tools that allow you to have your say in these matters. Like Keith, I strongly advocate that we all get out and make ourselves heard on these important issues.
Reason
Founder, Longevity Meme