WordGen Weekly Unit 2.07

Should the government fund embryonic stem cell research?

embryo | paralyzed | theory | investigate | obtain

Do the Math

President George W. Bush restricted government funding of stem cell research. On August 9, 2001, he said that scientists could not obtain federal money for research on embryonic stem cell lines created after that date. This paralyzed certain areas of research. Some scientists investigating embryonic stem cells had to put their projects on hold.

President Bush believed he had a moral duty to stop new embryos from being destroyed. Each embryo, he stated, is a potential human being. His theory was that using embryos for research cheapens human life.

President Obama presented a different moral theory. He said human beings have a moral duty to help people who are suffering. Therefore, they should use science to fight disease. In 2009, President Obama lifted President Bush’s restrictions.

Option 1:

Each embryo needed to start a stem cell line is made up of about 100 cells. Its mass is about one ten-millionth of a gram. Which of the following shows one ten-millionth?

A. .0001

B. .00001

C. .000001

D. .0000001

Option 2:

Each embryo needed to start a stem cell line is made up of about 100 cells. Each person is made up of about 100 trillion cells. Write both numbers in scientific notation. How many orders of magnitude separate the two numbers?

Discussion Question:

In 2009, the FDA approved the first clinical trial using embryonic stem cells. A company called Geron Corp planned to inject embryonic stem cells into 8–10 people whose legs were paralyzed by a spinal cord injury. The Geron scientists had a theory that these cells could help repair damaged nerves. Obtaining subjects for the trial would take time, because the scientists wanted to inject the cells within a few days of the injury. They said the trial was primarily an investigation into whether injecting stem cells would be safe. But they also hoped to see whether the stem cells would help patients recover some movement in their legs.

Imagine that you are against stem cell research. What would you have said to these researchers to convince them to give up this project?

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