2012 Nobel Prize

The Nobel Peace Prize has been politically motivated at times, but the Nobel Prizes in other categories are more than respectable! Hence the good news from "National Catholic Register" that the 2012 Nobel Prize in Medicine honors a scientist who conducts stem-cell research ethically. His work on stem-cell generation proves that human embryos do not have to be used for studying diseases and the advancement of successful treatments. Yamanaka found that by inserting a combination of four genes into mouse cells that they could be reprogrammed, and they would actually become pluripotent and redevelop as stem cells. (Note: this Japanese scientist has two daughters!)