Americans Support Stem Cell Research

A new study finds that more than two thirds of Americans approve of the use of stem cells in research aiming to cure serious diseases.

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Human embryonic stem cellsWIKIMEDIA COMMONS, NISSIM BENVENISTY

Most Americans support the use of stem cells to treat such diseases as cancer and heart disease, according to a study published last month in Nature Biotechnology.

Research using human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) has been controversial since its inception, with the recent battle over federal funding of such science refocusing the debate in the public eye. While pundits, lobbyists, and politicians argue that it is unethical due to the fact that it involves the destruction of human embryos, hESC research also holds the potential to treat, or even cure, many life-threatening illnesses. But what does the general public think?

To answer this question, researchers at the University of Nevada, Reno, surveyed more than 2,000 Americans regarding their feelings on stem cells and other controversial ...

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Meet the Author

  • Jef Akst

    Jef Akst was managing editor of The Scientist, where she started as an intern in 2009 after receiving a master’s degree from Indiana University in April 2009 studying the mating behavior of seahorses.
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