ODD SPOT: Pentagon funds embryo research
With a war in Iraq, an occupation in Haiti and a man hunt in Afghanistan, you might think that the Pentagon has enough enemies and battles on its hands. Not so. Reuters reports that the American military is bankrolling embryonic stem cell research in Sweden, ignoring a well- publicised ban on such work by its chief, President George W. Bush. The US$240,000 research program will be taking place at Lund University. Apparently the Pentagon is interested in its ESC research into Parkinson’s disease because the results might be useful for treating soldiers affected by nerve gas on the battlefield. There has been no comment from the White House.
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