Wesley J. Smith

Here’s another reason why we need animal research: Scientists have created mice with schizophrenia, which they can then test and study as they seek to learn about the disease and find effective treatments. Sometimes you just need a living organism—some of which will need to be dissected . . . . Continue Reading »

Animal research is vital to human thriving. It is essential for advancing science and improving human (and animal) medical treatment and overall health. Yes, alternatives should be used when reasonably feasible, but at some point testing requires a living, breathing organism, and the only other . . . . Continue Reading »

The big secret that the media rarely address is that many bioethicists and bioscientists actually support reproductive cloning. Yes, yes, I know: Most scientific organizations, such as the NAS, and big-name bioethicists currently oppose permitting a cloned embryo to be implanted and gestated to . . . . Continue Reading »

Advanced Cell Technology is always on the lookout for opportunities to garner money, either from private investors (sometimes after hyped stories of its research “successes” somehow “make it” into the papers), or from government grants. ACT’s most recent escapade . . . . Continue Reading »

A gene therapy subject in an early human trial to treat arthritis has died, causing the experiment to be halted. Very sad. But such are the risks in human trials, which sometimes puts people in potential peril in the effort to get cutting edge medical treatments to clinical use. (There are, of . . . . Continue Reading »

The House of Representatives has voted down an amendment that would have prohibited the DEA from enforcing federal drug laws against medical marijuana participants in states where cannabis as medicine is legal. And the bill only got two more votes than the last time the House considered it before . . . . Continue Reading »

Personhood theorists claim that one who becomes permanently unconscious has lost personhood. Some even claim that such people are “dead.” In any event, personhood theorists hold that a permanently unconscious human being is of materially less moral value than persons (perhaps including . . . . Continue Reading »

Good news: Thanks to biotechnology, it may soon be possible to not use animals in testing cosmetics for skin irritation. From the story in New Scientist:Stretched taut across the top of a vial, the thin cream-coloured material feels almost like rubber. Barely 1 centimetre in diameter, this is a . . . . Continue Reading »

Massachusetts passed state-wide guaranteed health care last year, and it now has an insufficient number of primary care physicians. From the Wall Street Journal story:On the day Ms. [Tamar] Lewis signed up, she said she called more than two dozen primary-care doctors approved by her insurer looking . . . . Continue Reading »

This charming story about Jessica the Hippo is a bit disturbing. Jessica was saved from death by human intervention—we are the only species that do this constantly for species other than our own. And the game warden’s saving her life at the age of one day, represents our unique capacity . . . . Continue Reading »