“Human embryonic stem cells created from adult tissue for first time,” The Guardian reports, while the Daily Mail’s front page leads with the somewhat fanciful warning that new research raises the “spectre of cloned babies”.
These headlines are based on newly published research into the use of a technique known as somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) as part of embryonic stem cell research. It should be noted that no babies were born as a result of this research, and the researchers had no intention of producing a live cloned human being.
SCNT involves taking donated egg cells from women and removing their genetic material. These are then fused with human cells – in this case skin cells – and the fused cell begins behaving in a similar way to an embryo by producing human stem cells.
Read more: Human embryo stem cells cloning breakthrough | NHS Choices | Nursing Times
