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LifestreamVia FARK — ABC: Pentagon Bankrolls Swedish Stem Cell Study
In a statement, Lund University in southern Sweden said the U.S. Department of Defense was supporting the Swedish Parkinson’s study because the findings could be used to treat similar neurological illnesses caused by battlefield toxins.
The Swedish research, using human embryonic stem cells, will focus on ways to prompt the cells to develop into the type of nerve cells deficient in the brains of patients with Parkinson’s. The disease causes tremors, muscle rigidity and slow movement in its sufferers and is currently incurable.
Opponents, including Bush, say any use of a human embryo amounts to murder and is unethical. Critics are pushing for legislation in the United States that would outlaw the practice completely.
Not such a big deal and quite an insignificant sum by comparison.
While it is nice to see that Sweden is spearheading research on the subject and help to keep the scientific community open there are problems with this. One of the biggest problems is of course that few organizations just give money away without expecting something in return.
Like I’ve said in the past, when special interest groups get involved in research, we might miss the big picture. In this case though, it seems that the project was set up before the Pentagon ever got involved. But the danger is ever present.
It’s nevertheless profitable for countries like Sweden that science is restricted and censored to such an extent elsewhere. Even if it could spell disaster for the US in the long run. This is the future. Stop living in a cave.
