text_1: Stem Cell Research: The Quest Resumes
text_2: This is a first-rate piece of magazine journalism. The article, as much about basic stem cell science as about medical treatment, focuses on one key researcher’s efforts to advance understanding of stem cells. The article puts those efforts in the context of politics, past and current research and the potential for clinical application. It personalizes the story without generating false emotion or hope. It’s a strong example of how journalists can educate the public about the importance and difficulties of scientific research–something that’s very useful against a backdrop of so much out-of-context, misleading reporting about the benefits and dangers of drugs and treatments. It’s particularly useful in an area where political interests have distorted some underlying scientific issues. The story could have been made even stronger if the author had talked to politically neutral people who for scientific reasons are less sanguine about the outcomes of stem cell research. The scientific community has endured years of having to defend the importance–indeed, the legality–of work with stem cells. This has resulted in a nearly united front in the field advancing the message that stem cell research is on the cusp of life-saving application and a transforming force in the history of medicine. This may turn out to be accurate. It may not. Only at the very end does the story explore the safety and efficacy issues that are important barriers to clinical application. It would have been better to have a little more of this a little earlier and to have it supplemented by an independent voice.