STEM CELL CRITIC SHOWN THE DOOR BY MIT
A controversial critic of embryonic stem cell research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has cited racism as the reason why he was denied tenure. James L. Sherley, who teaches biological engineering and is an expert in adult stem cells, has vowed to start a hunger strike in protest.
Dr Sherley, an Afro-American, has circulated a letter amongst his colleagues alleging several instances of racial discrimination against him. Within MIT, a leading centre for embryonic stem cell research, his scientific and ethical views are controversial, even inflammatory. He contends that his research “poses an intellectually disruptive threat” and says that MIT “might tolerate and even celebrate such a challenge from a white faculty member, but never from one who is black.”
MIT has denied Dr Sherley’s allegations. It says that its protocols for granting tenure are “thorough and extensive” and were followed “with integrity”. Last year Dr Sherley won a Pioneer Award from the National Institutes of Health, a US$2.5 million grant for “highly innovative research”.
- How long can you put off seeing the doctor because of lockdowns? - December 3, 2021
- House of Lords debates assisted suicide—again - October 28, 2021
- Spanish government tries to restrict conscientious objection - October 28, 2021
More Stories
A painful debate: shrinking the carbon footprint of anaesthetics
If there is any profession which seems remote from the Sturm und Drang of climate change, it must be anaesthetists....
Some patients recall death experiences after heart attacks
In an article in the journal Resuscitation, some survivors of cardiac arrest have described lucid death experiences that occurred while...
Queensland widower dies after taking assisted suicide drugs ordered by his wife
“Move along, please. Nothing to see here.” This was more or less the reaction of supporters of “voluntary assisted dying”...
Australian first: nurse donates organs after euthanasia
A Victorian woman has become the first Australian to combine death by euthanasia with organ donation. Ballarat nurse Marlene Bevern,...
Canadian study hints at crushing institutional conscience objections to ‘assisted dying’
Supporters of “voluntary assisted dying” fought hard to achieve legalisation in various jurisdictions around the world. After legalisation, however, battles...
Hope, hype and xenotransplantation
On January 7, 2022 David Bennett, a 57-year-old with terminal heart disease, made history as the first person to receive...