Theron Cooper Mrs.

Verdun AP English 4 3-2-14 Research Essay Final Draft

Theron Cooper Mrs. Verdun AP LIT 2-22-14 Research Paper Final Draft

Did you know that in 382 million people have died from diabetes in 2013 worldwide? (Source #3) What about the fact that 5 million Americans live with Alzheimers disease? (Source #6) Over 7 million people worldwide died from cancer in the year 2013 alone. (Source 2) Through stem cell research, all three of these diseases can be treated in a life-saving form or even eradicated. So why arent we investing billions into this topic to research facilities such as Harvard, Stanford, or the Howard Hughes Medical Institute? Well thats the million dollar question! Stem cells are unspecialized cells in the body that can transform into specialized cells. (Source #1) Specialized meaning they can develop into heart cells, nerve cells, muscle cells, etc. There are many types of stem cells, but the main two are embryonic and adult stem cells. (Source #7) Stem cells were discovered by Russian Alexander A. Maximo in 1924. (Source #8) He had proposed the idea of this type of cell earlier, but it was in 1924 he confirmed it through research. (Source #8) Further studies by Earnest A. McCulloch and James E. Till during the mid-20th century provided more information and questions about stem cells. (Source #8)

Embryonic stem cells are stem cells derived from a fertilized human embryo. (Source #1) Because of this, embryonic stem cells are more useful than adult stem cells. Being derived from a young organism that is destined to grow dramatically due to the creation of millions of specialized cells from thousands of unspecialized cells, embryonic stem cells are more capable to turn from stem cell to nerve cell in a matter of seconds! This makes embryonic stem cells more valuable, not in terms of money, but biological wise. A dose of these cells may change the life of someone in a major way. There are hundreds of research facilities prepared to charge into the task of investigating stem cell research. From colleges to private companies that have millions invested in research. Not only that, but the government gives out millions of dollars every year through the National Academy of Science. As you see, the only thing hampering research of stem cells is society's mindset. It has been embedded into the minds of people that it is wrong to research these crucial building blocks of life. Why let millions suffer every year and die if there's a solution. The United States government spends billions on military defense every year. A couple billions toward research wont harm them. Do you know what tissue regeneration is? Well until I started researching this topic, I didnt either. It is the process tissues go through to make it healthier and more efficient. (Source #9) This process occurs every day in our bodies, but Murphys Law is always present in biology. If it can go wrong, it will! Sometimes the process doesnt go as planned and some tissue is damaged! Damaged tissue can lead to all sorts of problems in the body; especially the main tissue that keeps us alive: cardiac tissue. Adding

embryonic stem cells to the problem will produce new tissue that is more efficient and healthier. Ok, so embryonic stem cells are great! They can form to other cells and save millions of lives! Theres just one problem; can we extract embryonic stem cells without harming the embryo? Sadly, scientists cannot. Taking these cells would kill the potential baby instantly. This makes embryonic stem cell research controversial. People argue if it is morally wrong. Why kill this future somebody? It could have been a future biochemist or corporate lawyer. All over the world this is debated. I was once watching a police drama television show and one of its episodes focused on embryonic stem cell research. A couple was selling their embryos to a college for large amounts of money. It wasnt illegal, but when the public was notified of this secretive deal, the lady would turn up dead. A man who disagreed with stem cell research had gone into a rage and killed her. This example shows how serious this subject is. In reality, people will go to the extreme concerning stem cell research. In my own opinion, I support embryonic stem cells. I can recall a movie I watched a couple years ago about war, and in it, someone said that the good of the many outweigh the good of the few. The good of the seven billion people exposed to millions, maybe billions of life-threatening diseases, cancers, and genetic disorders are outweighed by the good of an embryo. Morally, it is wrong. Last time I checked though, killing was morally wrong, but we still have the death penalty present in a couple states. Lying is morally wrong, but yet our own government lies to us every day about phone tampering. My point is, a lot of things are morally wrong, but it is still practiced by society and no one makes a big enough deal to stop it.

Adult stem cells come from the bone marrow of anyone. They are your usual stem cells that have no type of specialization. They have no form of controversial. This is because youre not harming an embryo. No killing of what could be a college professor or CEO of JP Morgan Chase. That is the main pro of adult stem cells. For example, adult stem cells can be used for repairing damaged heart muscle following a myocardial infarction. Thats the scientific name for heart attack. (Source #8) See what happens is you inject the adult stem cells into the infected area, this scenario being the heart, and it will either release hormones to help out the damaged tissue or transform into a cardiac cell itself. (Source #10) Some people can die if the tissue is too damaged and cant operate correctly. Applying the adult stem cells will make things better, leading to a possible survival. A con, which may be the only con, is that they are not as durable and reliable for life-saving techniques as embryonic stem cells are. Meaning, they cant transform into certain cells an embryonic cell can. Yeah, following a heart attack it can save thousands fighting to stay alive, but they wont save an old man with Alzheimers disease who wont see his grandchildren grow up. Every 67 seconds, someone in the United States develops this disease. (Source #6) The following paragraphs are interviews of three random students. Student #1 Interview: Question: Are you for or against stem cell research? Answer: I dont think we should allow stem cell research. It involves killing innocent babies. Well theyre not babies since it is in the early stage. But yeah, it is cruel and inhuman to do that. With enough research, scientists will one day find an alternative. So Im against stem cell research

Student #2 Interview: Question: What would you rather do, save millions of lives from Alzheimers or leave embryonic stem cells alone and allow them to grow into a human? Answer: I would save the lives of the millions affected by Alzheimers. I say this because this is personal. My grandmother died from Alzheimers disease and I have an aunt suffering from it now. It seems the disease runs in the family. So, if taking some stem cells from an embryo that has no sense of feel or emotion, then yeah save the lives of the already living who need them. Student #3 Interview: Question: If you were suffering from diabetes and there was research done that concluded if you had a dosage of embryonic stem cells, the diabetes would go away, would you sacrifice the baby? Answer: Yes, I would. I want to be able to live life and if killing the thing is going to save me, then go ahead so I can live. Two years ago I was in a biology class and not once did we talk about stem cells. We went ten months in school not discussing these specific kinds of cells. My point is not everyone is informed about this topic. Young people rather scroll down Instagram or Twitter to find out the latest gossip. Adults have other problems like bills and health. You turn on the television and CNN and FOX News is throwing all kinds of information at you. The headlines go: "Killing innocent babies for Cells! Well instead of saying both sides to the story, they just give you what they want you to hear. I guess a person has to have the will to want to read about stem cells. Some may say it's boring and unnecessary, but one day they may need a dose of some embryonic stem cells. God forbid, they may have a genetic disorder they don't even know about. I bet then they'll

wish they had invested some time in reading about stem cells. Their voice may have been the voice needed to change some of society's opinion of stem cell research. I did a survey of 20 anonymous students asking them were they for, against, or undecided on this controversial topic of stem cell research. Three students were in favor of stem cell research. Thirteen were against it and four said they were unsure. As the graph below shows, most people are against stem cell research. Could it be that they dont see the benefits of the research? For Against Undecided 3 13 4

In conclusion, I think stem cell research should be supported. Researching and applying it to our everyday medical problems will save millions of lives around the globe. Yes, for every good thing, theres something bad. Killing embryos in order to save lives isnt morally correct, but at the end of the day, scientifically theyre alive, but in reality they feel nothing. Were killing what isnt something basically. People against stem cell research say killing one thing for another to live is sad, but we do it every day when were munching on food. Meats and plants were once alive. In order for us to live another day and not starve, they were sacrificed.

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