April
11 , 2003 New
York Times Science Writer Gina Kolata to Speak April 17
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Gina
Kolata |
Gina Kolata is worried.
The New York Times
science writer says both sides of the debate over stem cell research
are missing an important point. "There are these big political
battles over whether stem cell research should go forward or not,"
says Kolata. Proponents tout the technology's potential
to cure disease and opponents argue for fetal rights, "but,
it's not so clear that those who are fighting for this will
see the benefits in their lifetimes."
Known for her coverage
of scientific advances in cloning and disease prevention, Kolata
will address "Reporting on the Embryo," Thursday,
April 17, at 7:30 pm in Gamble Auditorium. The lecture is the
final event in The Political Embryo: Reconceiving Human Reproduction,
a semester-long series sponsored by the Harriet L. and Paul M.
Weissman Center for Leadership and supported by the class of 1958
and the Katherine B. Fitzgerald Lecture Fund.
Stem cell research and its applications "sound like simple
things," says Kolata. In theory, stem cells taken from human
embryos (those produced but not used during in vitro fertilization
procedures) can be converted into any human tissue and used to
cure disease—insulin-secreting cells for diabetics, nervous
system cells for Parkinson's disease, skin cells for burn
victims, heart cells to help repair the damage of cardiac arrest.
"I'm concerned, not that it will never work,"
says Kolata, "but that it's much more [complicated]
than people sometimes appreciate."
How long before stem cell theory will be put into practice? "You
can't predict the pace," says Kolata, but she sees
nothing to indicate that scientists are remotely close to achieving
a usable technology. "The sound bite is: We'll give
them to you, and you're cured," says Kolata, "but
it can be a long way from theory to something that really works.
There's been so much unbridled enthusiasm for the potential
for stem cells, and yet when you look at where things are—it
kind of scares me."
It isn't fear that has kept Kolata reporting on science
for thirty years, but perhaps it is her capacity for concern.
Says Kolata, "I'm trying to present you with something
that makes you think about big questions about medicine, society,
and science. I don't care what people 'should'
know. I want to say, 'This is something I find really fascinating;
I'd like to draw you into the conversation so that you care.'
" By following scientific breakthroughs and debates in the
media, "you're becoming part of an intellectual endeavor.
It's a privilege to be part of this conversation, and I'd
like everybody to have that opportunity."
About Gina
Kolata
Gina Kolata has been a science reporter for the New York Times
since 1987. She has written several books, including Clone:
The Road to Dolly and the Path Ahead (William Morrow).
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