Scientific
American.com,
Thursday, December 15, 2005--Stem
Cell Meltdown
...Flabbergasting. In six months, this work went from being one of the
most celebrated accomplishments of recent biotechnology—probably a
strong contender for future Nobel consideration—to what may become a
legendary scientific fraud akin to the Piltdown man.
Blog:
SCIAM OBSERVATIONS
Flabbergasting. That was the only word
that came to mind in past weeks as the allegations and admissions
continued to mount over Woo Suk Hwang's announcement from last summer
that his lab had cloned embryonic stem cells from 11 human patients. It
was a breathtakingly exciting advance, one that seemed to hasten the
day when embryonic stme cells might be applied to treat or cure
diseases. By any reckoning, it was one of the stand-out scientific
achievements of the year, and it was enough to net Hwang a top spot on
this year's Scientific American 50 list. But bit by bit, this milestone
in stem cell technology has been crumbling away, and it's beginning to
look as though there's nothing left. ...
Srila Prabhupada:
How subtle laws are working, what do they know the scientists?
Therefore their so-called knowledge is mayaya apahrita-jnanah,
actual knowledge is taken away by maya. And they are thinking,
"I am very learned man, scholar." But actual knowledge is taken away. Mayaya
apahrita-jnanah. Why? Asuri-bhava. They won't
accept God. Therefore they are all fools. In spite of all these
degrees, they are all fools. Therefore they cannot explain everything
very nicely. "In future we shall see."
Svarupa Damodara: They are saying that "We are beginning
to learn more and more..."
Prabhupada: Yes. That means that you are fool. While you
are in the process of learning, that means you are fool. Say directly
that we are fool. That is gentlemanliness. You do not know; still, you
pose, "I am, we are scholar, we are scientist. Give us Nobel Prize."
You see. This is going on. We don't want Nobel Prize. We are giving the
topmost knowledge. We don't hanker after Nobel Prize. But they give
false knowledge and hanker after Nobel Prize. Just see. Their real aim
is how to get the Nobel Prize by cheating. That is their real aim. How
an educated man, learned man will cheat? So therefore my Guru Maharaja
used to say that "This modern human society, or always, it is a society
of the cheaters and the cheated." Somebody is cheating and somebody's
cheated, and they have combined together to make a so-called
civilization.
