TIME Aug 7,2006 Cover's

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1、Sunday,Jul.30,2006StemCells:TheHopeAndTheHypeByNANCYGIBBSWhenthere'snothingelsetoprescribe,hopeworkslikeadrug.Aquadriplegicpatienttellsherselfit'snotamatterofiftheyfindacurebutwhen.Who'stosaywhethersalvationisstill10or15yearsaway?Afterall,researchershavebeeninjectingstemcellsintoparalyzedratsan

2、dwatchingtheirspinalcordsmend."Stemcellshavealreadycuredparalysisinanimals,"declaredChristopherReeveinacommercialhefilmedaweekbeforehedied.Butwhatisthecorrectdoseofhopewhenthediseasesaredreadfulandtheprospectsofcuredistant?Lastmonth,whenPresidentGeorgeW.Bushvetoedthebillthatwouldhaveexpandedfun

3、dingforhumanembryonic-stem-cell(ESC)research,doctorsgotcallsfrompatientswithParkinson'sdiseasesayingtheyweren'tsuretheycouldhangonforanotheryearortwo.Thedoctorscouldonlyreplythatinthebest-casescenario,curesareatleastadecadeaway,thathopeisnosubstituteforevidence,thatstem-cellscienceisstillinitsi

4、nfancy.Itisthenatureofsciencetomixhopewithhedging.Itisthenatureofpoliticstooverpromiseandmopuplater.Butthepoliticsofstem-cellscienceisdifferent.OpponentsofESCresearch--startingwithBush--arguethatyoucan'tdestroylifeinordertosaveit;supportersarguethataneight-cellembryodoesn'tcountasahumanlifeinth

5、efirstplace--notwhencomparedwiththelifeitcouldhelpsave.Opponentssaythepromiseofembryoresearchhasbeenoversold,andtheypointtothecuresthathavebeenderivedfromadultstemcellsfrombonemarrowandumbilicalcords;supportersretortthatadultstemcellsarestilloflimiteduse,andtofullyrealizetheirpotentialwewouldne

6、edtoknowmoreabouthowtheyoperate--whichwecanlearnonlyfromstudyingleftoverfertility-clinicembryosthatwouldotherwisebethrownaway.Backandforthitgoes,thepoliticsdrivingthescience,thesciencepushingback.Stem-cellresearchhasjoinedglobalwarmingandevolutionscienceasfieldsinwhichtheveryfactsareputtoavote,

7、apublicspectacleinwhichdatawrestledogma.Scientistswhoarehavingsurprisingsuccesswithadultstemcellsfindtheirprogressbeingusedbyactiviststoarguethatembryoresearchisnotjustimmoralbutalsounnecessary.Buttothoseinthefield,theonlyansweris