Stem cell essays pose questions about self and point to new uses for stem cells

CIRM grantee Paul Knoepfler of UC Davis has been blogging about stem cell science. As part of his interest in drumming up public engagement in science he recently held a stem cell essay contest and has posted the two winners to his blog.

In the 18 and under category he received an interesting and thoughtful piece from 14 year old Claire August of Winchester, MA. You can read her full essay here. She poses some questions about stem cell research, including this interesting take on what it means to have cells replacing those we’ve lost to disease or injury:

If someone were to acquire a body part that would change their abilities or the way the world saw them, say becoming more athletic, is that person really the same?

Are we the sum of our organs or would changing things about ourselves also change how we treat the world or how the world treats us?

In the end she concludes that the questions are worth tackling as they arise:

I believe that we should tackle these issues as they come and advance forward into exploring regenerative properties of stem cells. We deserve the choices that they someday might offer.

The older than 19 winner was Agnes Oshiro of Davis, CA, who wrote about the potential role of reprogrammed iPS cells in the field of artificial intelligence. Her full essay is here. In her piece Oshiro suggests that divisions between university departments stand in the way of innovative collaborations, such as those between stem cell scientists and artificial intelligence. She writes:

However, the desire for innovation that runs in the scientific community as a whole will undoubtedly bridge any and all differences, in the search for a better, smarter, more powerful artificial intelligence.

A.A.