Thursday 29 March 2007

Experiment in The Scientist: Interactive Stem Cell Discussion

Stem Cell Experiment in The Scientist Thursday, 29 March 2007 On The Scientist website you can find a new experimental feature - an ‘interactive article’ with questions to the public that will be used in forming articles for the print version of the magazine next month. You can find it here: Special Feature: Stem cell cloning needs you. “In a unique experiment we're inviting you to participate in a discussion that will help shape our next feature on stem cell research and post comments.” They further write: “We're inviting people to give us their thoughts and questions on whether we need to rethink the scientific and ethical approach to stem cell cloning to help shape a feature that we'll be running in the June issue of the magazine. [...] we're treating this more as an experiment in user participation, which we'd love to do for more articles in future if people respond to this.”

There are three main questions they put:

  • Is the nuclear transfer challenge one of understanding or technique?
  • Is it time to reevaluate the ethics of stem cell cloning?
  • Does stem cell cloning need new terminology?

So, go there and post your comments! It would be really nice if people could go there and actually address the issue and try to answer the questions. Adding a comment is easy with no special registration hoops to go through. It’s an interesting approach, as an experiment for a better and more extensive communication between the public and the science-world on a complex issue. ZenMaster

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