Clone the Truth #4

Here is a New York Times article for Clone the Truth. (From Wesley J. Smith's blog)

Here is my letter to the editors since Mr. Wade didn't provide an e-mail address:

Dear NY Times editors,

I writing to inform you of an error in Nicholas Wade's article titled "Researcher Faked Evidence of Human Cloning, Koreans Report" dated 1/10/06.

 

Several times Mr. Wade states that Dr. Hwang cloned "cells."  Specifically, he wrote, "With Dr. Hwang's professional implosion, the goal of cloning human cells is once again open." 

 

Actually, the goal is to clone EMBRYOS not cells.  Somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) the technique Hwang claimed to have used, produces cloned EMBRYOS from which embryonic stem cells are harvested.

 

Please see this tutorial from Princeton's Dept. of Molecular Biology:

 

http://www.molbio.princeton.edu/courses/mb427/2001/projects/09/transfertutorial.htm

 

For your readers form opinions on these important issues, they need to be properly informed.  That requires using the proper terminology.  Therefore, I ask that you print a correction.

 

Thank-you,

 

Rebecca Taylor