SPEAKING OF MATTHEW HOY, he writes to say that I’m probably wrong on the cloning issue below:

Glenn, I might be mistaken, but I think you’ve got this development wrong, at least as it relates to the cloning debate.

To quote from the article you linked to:

The Monash scientists put thymus stem cells into the kidney cavity of a mouse.

“To see the thymus grow, complete and working, was exciting,” Professor Boyd said.

Note it says “thymus stem cells” this would indicate to me that these were taken from a developed organ. Otherwise the reference would likely be to “embryonic stem cells” which are undifferentiated.

Also, according to the theory, if embryonic stem cells were injected into the kidney, they should have turned into kidney cells — not thymus.

I’ll admit I don’t know all there is to know about the science — but it appears to me that this report is fodder for the anti-cloning debate — another scientific success for adult stem cell research — which doesn’t require the destruction of any human embryos.

Well, as far as I’m concerned that’s actually better news if it’s true. I’m more interested in the treatments than in how they’re arrived at, and success with adult stem cells shortcircuits a lot of potential political opposition. And he’s right — I assumed the story was about fetal cells, but it doesn’t actually say that.

UPDATE: Charles Murtaugh emails that he thinks it’s adult cells, too. Fine with me.