This Washington Post story summarizes the near hysteria in South Korea over Hwang and his fraud. Even in the face of facts, many of the people just refused to believe the truth that he is a charlatan and had not derived ES cells from cloned embryos.
But we also see that here. Despite a lack of scientific verification, scientists and media still assert unequivocally that cloning and ESCR are the “best hope” for regenerative medicine. The treasure trove of peer reviewed articles demonstrating the tremendous optimism we should have about adult/UCB stem cells do not penetrate outside the media screen.
In California, where trauma centers and emergency rooms are shutting down, voters refused a very minor tax on phone bills to keep them open. At the same time they agreed to borrow $7 billion (including interest) to chase the ESCR/cloning rainbow, that even if it works—a big if—is decades away. Today, states around the nation are in an Oklahoma Land Race frenzy to throw money at cloning and ESCR, even though the private sector is generally sitting on its collective wallet in this area of research.
Cloning and ESCR are being sold by Big Biotech and their media and university allies as a veritable fountain of youth. In this hyper-emotional atmosphere, reason and rationality are in short supply.
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