Michael Fumento

My unpublished letter to the Washington Post:

"Scientists Use Skin To Create [Embryonic] Stem Cells," reads the p. A1 article by Rick Weiss in the June 7, 2007 Post, sub-headed "Discovery Could Recast Debate." Discovery? Then what of another Post A1 article by Rick Weiss titled: "Skin Cells Converted to Stem Cells," that began "Scientists for the first time . . . " That appeared in August of 2005. So how and why did that which was old become new again? Was the first study withdrawn? No. Maybe the explanation lies in the reference to "debate" and the fact that the reports Weiss relied upon for his second "discovery" piece appeared the day the House of Representatives was scheduled to vote on giving more research funds to embryonic stem cell research.