Scientists in Oregon have successfully cloned monkey embryos and used them to make two embryonic stem cell lines. It is the first time this has been accomplished in primates and brings the possibility of human stem cell lines one step closer to reality.
This is the heart of the controversy over stem cell research, which researchers hope will provide cures for diabetes, Parkinson’s and spinal cord injuries, among others. Embryonic stem cells are important because they can become almost any cell in the body. But the destruction of embryos to harvest those cells is vehemently opposed by right-to-life groups.