1 00:00:01,160 --> 00:00:04,320 Speaker 1: Welcome to you Stuff you Should Know from house Stuff 2 00:00:04,360 --> 00:00:13,080 Speaker 1: Works dot com. Hey, and welcome to the podcast. I'm 3 00:00:13,200 --> 00:00:16,160 Speaker 1: Josh Clark. There's Charles W. Chuck Bryant that makes the 4 00:00:16,239 --> 00:00:23,119 Speaker 1: Stuff you Should Know, featuring Jerry Good Afternoon, Good afternoon, Charles. 5 00:00:24,160 --> 00:00:27,880 Speaker 1: How are you? I'm good? A little little wackier than 6 00:00:28,000 --> 00:00:30,680 Speaker 1: usual by maybe like three or four percent. Yeah, we're 7 00:00:30,680 --> 00:00:33,080 Speaker 1: both a little wacky today. Usually we depend on the 8 00:00:33,080 --> 00:00:36,639 Speaker 1: other to not be wacky. So this episode is going 9 00:00:36,680 --> 00:00:40,320 Speaker 1: to suck. No, it won't suck. You don't think. How 10 00:00:40,360 --> 00:00:42,640 Speaker 1: are you being optimistic? I see? I think if this 11 00:00:42,680 --> 00:00:46,560 Speaker 1: is good? I learned a lot about this topic. Yes, 12 00:00:46,880 --> 00:00:49,480 Speaker 1: thank you for not blowing the big secret. That's right. 13 00:00:49,560 --> 00:00:54,080 Speaker 1: We're talking about stem cells today. It's out there. Yep. 14 00:00:54,240 --> 00:00:57,920 Speaker 1: You can't take it back. Nope. Um, did you know 15 00:00:58,040 --> 00:01:00,480 Speaker 1: much about stem cells before? You researched the little bit? 16 00:01:00,840 --> 00:01:02,560 Speaker 1: Keep up with the news a little bit on it, 17 00:01:02,600 --> 00:01:05,959 Speaker 1: but I hadn't done a ton of research. It's really fascinating, Yeah, 18 00:01:06,000 --> 00:01:08,880 Speaker 1: it really is. What's funny is what I knew about 19 00:01:08,880 --> 00:01:12,480 Speaker 1: it before, what I assumed, um, which is just this 20 00:01:12,640 --> 00:01:16,839 Speaker 1: very primitive idea of like taking a cell and making 21 00:01:16,840 --> 00:01:18,720 Speaker 1: it turn into some other cell that you want and 22 00:01:18,720 --> 00:01:22,640 Speaker 1: then injecting it into the affected area. That's actually what 23 00:01:22,840 --> 00:01:25,720 Speaker 1: stem cell therapy is. Yeah, that's the goal of it 24 00:01:25,760 --> 00:01:27,839 Speaker 1: at this point pretty much yet one of them. Yeah, 25 00:01:28,040 --> 00:01:31,959 Speaker 1: so basically it's the Caveman stream. That's what stem cells are. 26 00:01:32,319 --> 00:01:34,200 Speaker 1: Is that what it is? Yeah? I thought that was 27 00:01:35,160 --> 00:01:40,360 Speaker 1: warm soup, warm soup alright, So after that, after warm 28 00:01:40,400 --> 00:01:42,839 Speaker 1: soup was invented, they turned their attention to stem cells. 29 00:01:43,040 --> 00:01:46,800 Speaker 1: Warm soup than cold beer stem cells. Yeah, that may 30 00:01:46,840 --> 00:01:49,360 Speaker 1: have come first. You remember from the beer episode the 31 00:01:49,440 --> 00:01:54,640 Speaker 1: idea that bread was created to make beer easier to make. Yeah, 32 00:01:54,720 --> 00:01:57,600 Speaker 1: that's such an awesome idea. I love it. That's a 33 00:01:57,640 --> 00:02:00,360 Speaker 1: T shirt right there. Yeah, it's a little plunk. I 34 00:02:00,440 --> 00:02:02,640 Speaker 1: think we need to work on bread before beer. Oh 35 00:02:02,680 --> 00:02:04,920 Speaker 1: well there you go. Yeah yeah, he thought I was 36 00:02:04,920 --> 00:02:07,760 Speaker 1: gonna put the whole thing. Yeah, it kind of keeps 37 00:02:07,800 --> 00:02:10,760 Speaker 1: going onto the back of the shirt. Right. Oh, wow, 38 00:02:10,880 --> 00:02:12,680 Speaker 1: you are in a weird mood today or inside? I know, 39 00:02:12,720 --> 00:02:15,360 Speaker 1: I just like, I let even know what that was. Okay, 40 00:02:15,480 --> 00:02:20,359 Speaker 1: let's let's take this seriously. Yes, so, um, there are 41 00:02:20,720 --> 00:02:25,200 Speaker 1: plenty of diseases out there, chuck that affects cells like 42 00:02:25,520 --> 00:02:31,000 Speaker 1: Parkinson's um. The neurons that produce dopamine, the neurotransmitter dopamine, 43 00:02:31,000 --> 00:02:35,840 Speaker 1: which helps control movements. UM, those cells die and as 44 00:02:35,840 --> 00:02:38,639 Speaker 1: a result, you lack dopamine and as a result of that, 45 00:02:39,000 --> 00:02:41,040 Speaker 1: you can't control your movements, and then you have the 46 00:02:41,120 --> 00:02:47,040 Speaker 1: characteristic tremors of parkinson Um. Heart failure is apparently the 47 00:02:47,080 --> 00:02:50,760 Speaker 1: result of well, your heart failing, but the heart failure 48 00:02:50,840 --> 00:02:55,399 Speaker 1: comes from your heart cells dying off. It's all cellular 49 00:02:55,440 --> 00:02:57,960 Speaker 1: death for the most part, well a lot of it is, right, 50 00:02:58,080 --> 00:03:01,400 Speaker 1: there's a lot of disease out there, type one die abetes. UM. 51 00:03:01,440 --> 00:03:04,400 Speaker 1: I believe you're not producing insulin like you're supposed to 52 00:03:05,000 --> 00:03:08,560 Speaker 1: the pancreas. Yeah, So the reason why cell death in 53 00:03:08,600 --> 00:03:12,200 Speaker 1: the pancreas. So there's this whole idea that if you 54 00:03:12,240 --> 00:03:16,800 Speaker 1: can just figure out how to reintroduce these cells, then 55 00:03:17,120 --> 00:03:20,080 Speaker 1: the caveman's dream will be realized because you will have 56 00:03:20,120 --> 00:03:23,040 Speaker 1: a healthy pancreas and therefore no more type one diabetes. 57 00:03:23,440 --> 00:03:27,800 Speaker 1: You'll be producing UM dopamine again, no more Parkinson's and 58 00:03:27,880 --> 00:03:30,760 Speaker 1: possibly no more Alzheimer's either, yea, no more. A lot 59 00:03:30,800 --> 00:03:33,400 Speaker 1: of stuff, yeah, And it all comes down to the 60 00:03:33,440 --> 00:03:36,520 Speaker 1: fact that we are losing cells in a in an 61 00:03:36,600 --> 00:03:40,640 Speaker 1: unnatural way, and there therefore, by replacing those cells, we 62 00:03:40,680 --> 00:03:43,720 Speaker 1: could conceivably cure these diseases. Yeah, I guess we shouldn't 63 00:03:43,720 --> 00:03:46,680 Speaker 1: say no more, but we should say reversible, you know, 64 00:03:46,840 --> 00:03:49,280 Speaker 1: because you would still get Parkinson's, but then you'd be 65 00:03:49,320 --> 00:03:53,480 Speaker 1: able to reverse the effects. We're not talking about eradicating. 66 00:03:53,600 --> 00:03:56,640 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, yeah, you know that's a that's a good point. Um, Yeah, 67 00:03:56,680 --> 00:03:59,920 Speaker 1: we're talking about curing these things once you already have them. 68 00:04:00,160 --> 00:04:06,760 Speaker 1: Just saved us some pedantic emails. So the whole point 69 00:04:06,800 --> 00:04:10,400 Speaker 1: to all this, the whole idea beneath it um was 70 00:04:10,480 --> 00:04:15,320 Speaker 1: discovered in when some researchers figured out that there are 71 00:04:15,400 --> 00:04:20,440 Speaker 1: cells in mice that are what are called undifferentiated, meaning 72 00:04:20,600 --> 00:04:23,239 Speaker 1: they're not really any kind of cell, Like they don't 73 00:04:23,279 --> 00:04:27,480 Speaker 1: carry oxygen in the blood, they're not capable of it, 74 00:04:27,600 --> 00:04:32,880 Speaker 1: they're not capable of UM transmitting neurotransmitters, they don't they 75 00:04:32,880 --> 00:04:35,279 Speaker 1: didn't really seem to do anything. But then further and 76 00:04:35,279 --> 00:04:38,600 Speaker 1: further research revealed like, oh my god, these cells can 77 00:04:38,640 --> 00:04:40,960 Speaker 1: do anything. Yeah. They're like a little child, like what 78 00:04:41,040 --> 00:04:42,320 Speaker 1: kind of cell do you want to be when you 79 00:04:42,320 --> 00:04:45,640 Speaker 1: grow up? And those are stem cells, and then I 80 00:04:45,680 --> 00:04:49,479 Speaker 1: think they finally isolated them in humans because the big 81 00:04:49,480 --> 00:04:53,040 Speaker 1: problem with stem cells is they look and seem just 82 00:04:53,120 --> 00:04:56,840 Speaker 1: like all the other cells that they're around until you 83 00:04:57,000 --> 00:05:00,240 Speaker 1: figure out how to isolate them, which is something they're 84 00:05:00,240 --> 00:05:03,640 Speaker 1: actually still working on. That's right, and uh, they and 85 00:05:03,720 --> 00:05:06,680 Speaker 1: we'll get to how they can mark these things, which 86 00:05:06,720 --> 00:05:08,800 Speaker 1: is pretty neat in a bit. But um, there are 87 00:05:08,839 --> 00:05:11,840 Speaker 1: not nearly as many stem cells as uh is one 88 00:05:11,839 --> 00:05:14,640 Speaker 1: of the main differences. Yeah, depending on where you look. Yeah, 89 00:05:14,680 --> 00:05:16,600 Speaker 1: for the adult and we'll get onto the different types 90 00:05:16,600 --> 00:05:19,080 Speaker 1: as well, but for adult stem cells, it's about one 91 00:05:19,160 --> 00:05:22,520 Speaker 1: for every one thousand regular cells. Yeah, and again, like 92 00:05:22,560 --> 00:05:24,839 Speaker 1: in the blood, that's the case. In the bone you 93 00:05:24,920 --> 00:05:28,480 Speaker 1: might find one for every ten thousand. But the point 94 00:05:28,560 --> 00:05:31,800 Speaker 1: is there's not nearly as many stem cells because you 95 00:05:31,839 --> 00:05:35,880 Speaker 1: don't need as many. And the the analogy that I 96 00:05:35,880 --> 00:05:38,160 Speaker 1: guess they made in this article is that stem cells 97 00:05:38,200 --> 00:05:41,800 Speaker 1: are kind of like the body's repair kit. Yeah. The 98 00:05:41,800 --> 00:05:46,240 Speaker 1: thing is is they don't necessarily do all the repairs 99 00:05:46,279 --> 00:05:49,160 Speaker 1: that we need, Like you can still get Parkinson's and 100 00:05:49,480 --> 00:05:53,000 Speaker 1: there's not a stem cell that automatically activates and cures 101 00:05:53,000 --> 00:05:55,880 Speaker 1: your Parkinson's. If so then this we wouldn't be having 102 00:05:55,920 --> 00:05:59,599 Speaker 1: this conversation, that's right. So the goal of stem cell 103 00:05:59,640 --> 00:06:01,559 Speaker 1: therapy used to figure out how to take these stem 104 00:06:01,600 --> 00:06:06,120 Speaker 1: cells and make them do what you want them to do. Yeah, 105 00:06:06,240 --> 00:06:11,040 Speaker 1: manipulating these cells to to turn into helpful cells. Regular 106 00:06:11,040 --> 00:06:15,040 Speaker 1: cells can only replicate um to be another kind of 107 00:06:15,040 --> 00:06:18,800 Speaker 1: that cell, but stem cells are. They have different levels 108 00:06:18,800 --> 00:06:22,120 Speaker 1: of what's called potency, which is an ability to change, 109 00:06:22,560 --> 00:06:27,279 Speaker 1: ranging from a tote potent which can develop into anything anything, 110 00:06:27,320 --> 00:06:29,919 Speaker 1: like it can turn into a car if it wants to. 111 00:06:30,360 --> 00:06:33,840 Speaker 1: That's not true, it's like the Wonder Twins. Yeah, it 112 00:06:33,920 --> 00:06:35,960 Speaker 1: can turn to anything, so long as it's water based, 113 00:06:35,960 --> 00:06:38,520 Speaker 1: that's right. Uh. And then you have other levels of 114 00:06:38,520 --> 00:06:42,000 Speaker 1: potency to pluripotent, multipotent, um. And we'll cover all this 115 00:06:42,040 --> 00:06:44,440 Speaker 1: in detail as we go, because each one has a 116 00:06:44,480 --> 00:06:47,200 Speaker 1: different potency level, right. But I think that was descending 117 00:06:47,320 --> 00:06:53,080 Speaker 1: order from uh capability, right, Like toted potent is anything, Yeah, 118 00:06:53,120 --> 00:06:58,720 Speaker 1: pluripotent is almost anything. Then multipotent is a few things. Um. 119 00:06:58,760 --> 00:07:02,719 Speaker 1: And we have uh, these stem cells, like we said, 120 00:07:03,080 --> 00:07:06,400 Speaker 1: around the body in different places and and like you said, 121 00:07:06,400 --> 00:07:09,440 Speaker 1: their their job is to basically hang out in there. 122 00:07:09,880 --> 00:07:12,720 Speaker 1: Call it like their host organ or their host tissue. Yeah, 123 00:07:12,760 --> 00:07:14,760 Speaker 1: like we're all in the liver. We're liver cells, right, 124 00:07:14,840 --> 00:07:17,960 Speaker 1: So you need a new you need a few liver cells. Here, 125 00:07:18,640 --> 00:07:21,880 Speaker 1: I'm going to divide. I'm gonna divide into some more 126 00:07:22,120 --> 00:07:25,000 Speaker 1: and then bam, no more cirrhosis, or at least it's 127 00:07:25,000 --> 00:07:29,840 Speaker 1: staved off for another year. UM. With the bone marrow 128 00:07:29,960 --> 00:07:34,040 Speaker 1: in particular, UM, there's a type of cell, or a 129 00:07:34,120 --> 00:07:37,520 Speaker 1: type of stem cell called stromal stem cell, and that 130 00:07:37,600 --> 00:07:42,560 Speaker 1: one UM creates all sorts of different types of blood cells. UM. 131 00:07:42,600 --> 00:07:45,360 Speaker 1: Because your blood cells that's how they regenerate. Your stem 132 00:07:45,400 --> 00:07:48,200 Speaker 1: cells they don't self regenerate, and they only last about 133 00:07:48,200 --> 00:07:50,280 Speaker 1: twenty eight days. Now, is that why you can use 134 00:07:50,520 --> 00:07:54,400 Speaker 1: UM cells from bone marrow to treat other diseases like leukemia, 135 00:07:54,520 --> 00:07:59,600 Speaker 1: other blood diseases? Exactly? And that is a procedure. It's 136 00:07:59,600 --> 00:08:03,160 Speaker 1: actually stem cell therapy that predated our awareness that stem 137 00:08:03,200 --> 00:08:05,360 Speaker 1: cells even existing. We just didn't call it a stem 138 00:08:05,360 --> 00:08:07,560 Speaker 1: cell at the time. Yeah, it's a bone marrow transplant. 139 00:08:07,600 --> 00:08:10,000 Speaker 1: That's what people still call it now we understand that 140 00:08:10,040 --> 00:08:14,080 Speaker 1: what you're actually doing is transplanting that marrow that includes 141 00:08:14,200 --> 00:08:19,440 Speaker 1: some bone marrow stem cells. Yeah, into another person, and 142 00:08:19,440 --> 00:08:23,360 Speaker 1: then those stromal stem cells will start to regenerate and 143 00:08:23,400 --> 00:08:26,760 Speaker 1: help the person who has accepted this donation. That's right. 144 00:08:27,480 --> 00:08:30,560 Speaker 1: So that was the that's that that happened even before 145 00:08:30,560 --> 00:08:34,000 Speaker 1: we understood what stem cells were. But sin Um, all 146 00:08:34,000 --> 00:08:38,280 Speaker 1: of this research has really been focused on, Okay, how 147 00:08:38,280 --> 00:08:41,600 Speaker 1: can we make this a little more guided and laser 148 00:08:41,679 --> 00:08:45,960 Speaker 1: focused rather than accidentally transplanting stem cells from one person's 149 00:08:45,960 --> 00:08:49,280 Speaker 1: bone marrow to another. And so what they started to 150 00:08:49,320 --> 00:08:53,280 Speaker 1: investigate and found, Chuck, was that, uh, there's something called 151 00:08:53,320 --> 00:08:56,080 Speaker 1: embryonic stem cells. And these were the first ones that 152 00:08:56,160 --> 00:08:59,720 Speaker 1: were like this is awesome. Yeah, And like you said, 153 00:08:59,720 --> 00:09:03,319 Speaker 1: they were isolated in humans and due to private funding, 154 00:09:03,720 --> 00:09:07,040 Speaker 1: which is important designation because we'll get to all the 155 00:09:07,080 --> 00:09:12,679 Speaker 1: controversies and federal funding coming up soon. But they are embryonic. 156 00:09:12,840 --> 00:09:16,040 Speaker 1: They're in the embryo, the fetus, or the umbilical cord blood, 157 00:09:16,679 --> 00:09:19,400 Speaker 1: which is why a lot of times um mothers will 158 00:09:19,440 --> 00:09:23,960 Speaker 1: save their umbilical cord or not themselves. They don't give 159 00:09:23,960 --> 00:09:30,559 Speaker 1: it to them here you go, because that could come 160 00:09:30,559 --> 00:09:33,520 Speaker 1: in handy later on um and it depends on what 161 00:09:33,600 --> 00:09:37,480 Speaker 1: it's harvested. But they are the ones that are pluripotent, 162 00:09:37,920 --> 00:09:40,000 Speaker 1: depending like I said, on when you get them. They 163 00:09:40,040 --> 00:09:44,800 Speaker 1: can also very early on the the ultimate uh tote potent. 164 00:09:45,480 --> 00:09:48,000 Speaker 1: But that's um, that's super early. Yeah, you have to 165 00:09:48,000 --> 00:09:50,520 Speaker 1: have a quick hand like this total day or so 166 00:09:50,800 --> 00:09:56,240 Speaker 1: right old um. So those are the embryonic versions. Then 167 00:09:56,320 --> 00:10:00,160 Speaker 1: you've got adult stem cells and um. Strangely a ault 168 00:10:00,200 --> 00:10:03,440 Speaker 1: stem cells are found from infants on. So I think 169 00:10:03,480 --> 00:10:06,240 Speaker 1: the adult refers to the actual stem cell rather than 170 00:10:06,520 --> 00:10:09,800 Speaker 1: the person who has that type of stem cell. Yeah. 171 00:10:09,800 --> 00:10:11,360 Speaker 1: I think it's like I guess, just sort of like 172 00:10:11,400 --> 00:10:16,000 Speaker 1: post embryonic is the way I looked at it. Yeah, yeah, 173 00:10:16,160 --> 00:10:19,359 Speaker 1: that makes sense. It is multipotent, which means it can 174 00:10:19,640 --> 00:10:23,200 Speaker 1: uh differentiate or change itself into a lot of different 175 00:10:23,240 --> 00:10:27,280 Speaker 1: helpful things, but not as many as pluripotent. No. Um. 176 00:10:27,360 --> 00:10:30,200 Speaker 1: And then lastly, in two thousand and six, some Japanese 177 00:10:30,280 --> 00:10:35,400 Speaker 1: people figured out that you could English. Were they English too? Well, 178 00:10:35,480 --> 00:10:37,400 Speaker 1: those two guys who won the Nobel Prize, it was 179 00:10:37,520 --> 00:10:42,880 Speaker 1: Japanese one was they both deserve it because they figured 180 00:10:42,880 --> 00:10:46,320 Speaker 1: out that you can take uh sell any kind of 181 00:10:46,360 --> 00:10:50,880 Speaker 1: cell and make it regress back into a stem cell. 182 00:10:51,840 --> 00:10:57,240 Speaker 1: And that was huge because in part or mostly because 183 00:10:57,280 --> 00:11:00,400 Speaker 1: of the big controversy around embryonic stem cells, which you said, 184 00:11:00,400 --> 00:11:03,080 Speaker 1: we'll get into it in depth. Yeah, those are called 185 00:11:03,120 --> 00:11:06,320 Speaker 1: induced pluripotent stem cells or I P S C S 186 00:11:06,720 --> 00:11:10,400 Speaker 1: induced because they're inducing it in pluripotent because they revert 187 00:11:10,480 --> 00:11:15,680 Speaker 1: back to uh, the very handy uh pluripotent stage. Uh. 188 00:11:15,720 --> 00:11:17,840 Speaker 1: Those are the main three that's in general, and we'll 189 00:11:17,840 --> 00:11:19,480 Speaker 1: talk about all of them a little more in that 190 00:11:19,720 --> 00:11:25,599 Speaker 1: right after this. All right, so let's start with embryonic. 191 00:11:25,720 --> 00:11:29,320 Speaker 1: That seems like the logical place. Uh. If you listen 192 00:11:29,360 --> 00:11:35,040 Speaker 1: to our in vitro fertilization podcast recently, you know all about, UM, 193 00:11:35,080 --> 00:11:37,680 Speaker 1: how an embryo is formed. We have an egg fertilized 194 00:11:37,679 --> 00:11:41,199 Speaker 1: by a sperm that divides becomes an embryo. It's basically 195 00:11:41,240 --> 00:11:43,640 Speaker 1: that simple. I encourage you to go listen to that podcast, 196 00:11:43,640 --> 00:11:46,560 Speaker 1: though you'll learn all about all kinds of stuff. When 197 00:11:46,559 --> 00:11:49,400 Speaker 1: you undergo IVF though, like we talked about in that episode, 198 00:11:50,200 --> 00:11:52,840 Speaker 1: a lot of times you will have more embryo's not 199 00:11:52,960 --> 00:11:54,960 Speaker 1: always um, but a lot of times you have more 200 00:11:55,000 --> 00:11:58,520 Speaker 1: embryos than you're gonna use, and so you can freeze 201 00:11:58,520 --> 00:12:00,439 Speaker 1: those and save them for later in case you get 202 00:12:00,440 --> 00:12:04,000 Speaker 1: pregnant and that doesn't work out, um or it just 203 00:12:04,080 --> 00:12:06,280 Speaker 1: becomes medical waste. You get pregnant, you're like, we don't 204 00:12:06,320 --> 00:12:09,800 Speaker 1: need those anymore. You can just discard them, or you 205 00:12:09,840 --> 00:12:12,120 Speaker 1: can go with option three, which is to donate them 206 00:12:12,679 --> 00:12:15,880 Speaker 1: uh to science to be used in stem cell cloning, 207 00:12:15,920 --> 00:12:20,439 Speaker 1: therapeutic cloning. UM. The reason that they would want your 208 00:12:20,440 --> 00:12:23,760 Speaker 1: embryos is because, like you said, there at some point 209 00:12:23,840 --> 00:12:30,000 Speaker 1: total potent and definitely plural potent, very very versatile as 210 00:12:30,000 --> 00:12:34,880 Speaker 1: far as stem cells go. UM, and you can it's 211 00:12:34,960 --> 00:12:37,480 Speaker 1: very It's not easy. I don't think it's I don't 212 00:12:37,520 --> 00:12:39,920 Speaker 1: think that's the right word. But you can take a 213 00:12:40,160 --> 00:12:43,680 Speaker 1: embryonic stem cell and culture it and let it divide 214 00:12:44,040 --> 00:12:46,520 Speaker 1: into more and then culture those and culture those, and 215 00:12:46,559 --> 00:12:50,600 Speaker 1: as long as they stay undifferentiated, you have a line 216 00:12:50,920 --> 00:12:54,320 Speaker 1: of stem cells that can just keep replicating more and 217 00:12:54,360 --> 00:12:57,320 Speaker 1: more stem cells. They're never going to turn into a 218 00:12:57,400 --> 00:12:59,920 Speaker 1: certain kind of cell, that's right. So what you've just 219 00:13:00,080 --> 00:13:03,560 Speaker 1: created is an embryonic stem cell line. The thing is, 220 00:13:03,600 --> 00:13:06,120 Speaker 1: and this is what people have a problem with. To 221 00:13:06,280 --> 00:13:09,840 Speaker 1: harvest these things, you have to destroy the embryo. You 222 00:13:09,880 --> 00:13:12,559 Speaker 1: have to you have to let it become a blasticist, 223 00:13:12,559 --> 00:13:14,240 Speaker 1: which takes a couple of days, and by the time 224 00:13:14,280 --> 00:13:18,679 Speaker 1: it becomes a blasticist, it's about a hundred cells wide 225 00:13:18,920 --> 00:13:23,760 Speaker 1: or deep. There's and then inside this is the the 226 00:13:24,000 --> 00:13:26,360 Speaker 1: embryonic stem cells. So basically you have to crack the 227 00:13:26,400 --> 00:13:30,280 Speaker 1: blast eist open and then harvest the stem cells, and 228 00:13:30,320 --> 00:13:33,760 Speaker 1: then there's nothing left to do with the the blasticist. 229 00:13:34,320 --> 00:13:37,040 Speaker 1: If you're a religious type and you believe that life 230 00:13:37,040 --> 00:13:40,600 Speaker 1: begins at conception, then the problem is is you've just 231 00:13:40,720 --> 00:13:45,760 Speaker 1: taken a life by destroying a blasticist, and uh, that's 232 00:13:45,840 --> 00:13:48,760 Speaker 1: just one of the controversies. The therapeutic cloning is also 233 00:13:48,960 --> 00:13:52,959 Speaker 1: controversial because that's when they merge a cell. You've got 234 00:13:52,960 --> 00:13:55,800 Speaker 1: a patient who needs the therapy, and they merge that 235 00:13:55,920 --> 00:13:59,360 Speaker 1: cell with a donor's egg and then remove the nucleus 236 00:13:59,360 --> 00:14:01,880 Speaker 1: from that egg, replace it with the patients and it 237 00:14:01,960 --> 00:14:06,640 Speaker 1: basically is like their own. Now it's it's not likely 238 00:14:06,679 --> 00:14:09,760 Speaker 1: to be rejected, which is a big problem. You're just 239 00:14:09,800 --> 00:14:14,240 Speaker 1: basically using someone else's egg for its structural capabilities, and 240 00:14:14,440 --> 00:14:17,440 Speaker 1: but the nucleus the thing that's saying like here, build this, 241 00:14:17,600 --> 00:14:19,600 Speaker 1: go do this. It's it's going to look like you, 242 00:14:19,720 --> 00:14:24,640 Speaker 1: not them. Yeah, but anytime you use that c word, uh, cloning. Yeah, 243 00:14:24,720 --> 00:14:26,920 Speaker 1: well it's going to be controversy is going to ensue, 244 00:14:26,960 --> 00:14:29,800 Speaker 1: of course indeed. But it's also a double controversy too, 245 00:14:29,800 --> 00:14:32,080 Speaker 1: because you have to do the same thing. You're still 246 00:14:32,160 --> 00:14:34,480 Speaker 1: forming an embryo that you destroy once it gets the 247 00:14:34,520 --> 00:14:37,800 Speaker 1: blasts of stage. It's just a freak of nature because 248 00:14:37,800 --> 00:14:41,520 Speaker 1: you cloned it. It's called a double whammy. Right. So 249 00:14:41,600 --> 00:14:45,480 Speaker 1: that was that's embryonic and you know, there's a lot 250 00:14:45,480 --> 00:14:49,160 Speaker 1: of controversy around it. Um and we'll talk about that 251 00:14:49,240 --> 00:14:53,160 Speaker 1: a little more later. But there's another type of stem 252 00:14:53,200 --> 00:14:57,400 Speaker 1: cell um that isn't nearly as controversial, if at all, 253 00:14:57,920 --> 00:15:00,280 Speaker 1: and that's the adult stem cell which we mentioned, which 254 00:15:00,280 --> 00:15:02,800 Speaker 1: doesn't mean you have only when you're an adult, but 255 00:15:02,880 --> 00:15:05,080 Speaker 1: it's a type of stem cell that it's like the 256 00:15:05,160 --> 00:15:08,280 Speaker 1: kind that hangs out in your bone marrow. It's it 257 00:15:08,360 --> 00:15:13,680 Speaker 1: has a more of a specialized um job. Yeah, or 258 00:15:13,720 --> 00:15:16,680 Speaker 1: it can become specialized, which is the key. Uh. And 259 00:15:16,720 --> 00:15:19,080 Speaker 1: as you said, it hangs out and it can divide 260 00:15:19,640 --> 00:15:22,560 Speaker 1: and help out the liver if it needs to, or 261 00:15:22,600 --> 00:15:27,080 Speaker 1: the pancreas if it needs to. And um, that's the 262 00:15:27,080 --> 00:15:31,560 Speaker 1: main differentiate is that it's it's multipotent instead of pluripotent. 263 00:15:31,840 --> 00:15:36,680 Speaker 1: It still has limits. UM, And it's basically again this 264 00:15:36,760 --> 00:15:39,120 Speaker 1: is these are the ones that are your They're not 265 00:15:39,160 --> 00:15:42,680 Speaker 1: there to create you the human for the first time. 266 00:15:43,240 --> 00:15:45,480 Speaker 1: They're there to kind of keep you from wearing down 267 00:15:45,480 --> 00:15:48,280 Speaker 1: too fast. Yeah, I wonder if I wonder if they're 268 00:15:48,360 --> 00:15:51,920 Speaker 1: left over or if they're supposed to be there. I 269 00:15:51,960 --> 00:15:54,640 Speaker 1: know that sounds like a weird differentiation. I don't know, 270 00:15:54,760 --> 00:15:58,800 Speaker 1: because I did see somewhere that um, they're still trying 271 00:15:58,800 --> 00:16:02,280 Speaker 1: to figure out although this Japanese research may have figured 272 00:16:02,320 --> 00:16:04,160 Speaker 1: it out, but they're trying to figure out why some 273 00:16:04,240 --> 00:16:07,160 Speaker 1: types of stem cells, adults stem cells, we'll just sit 274 00:16:07,200 --> 00:16:10,960 Speaker 1: there and just hang out for a very long time, 275 00:16:11,360 --> 00:16:13,200 Speaker 1: and then all of a sudden they start to divide. 276 00:16:13,240 --> 00:16:16,880 Speaker 1: So I don't know, maybe they are original cells. If 277 00:16:16,880 --> 00:16:18,840 Speaker 1: they're just kind of hanging out doing nothing, why would 278 00:16:18,880 --> 00:16:21,520 Speaker 1: they age? I don't know. You know, it's weird. So 279 00:16:21,560 --> 00:16:24,000 Speaker 1: we mentioned earlier that they one of the difficulties in 280 00:16:24,080 --> 00:16:27,360 Speaker 1: working with stem cells, especially these adults them cells as 281 00:16:27,360 --> 00:16:29,760 Speaker 1: they looked like other cells. So they have a really 282 00:16:29,800 --> 00:16:32,560 Speaker 1: cool way of of marking them, or what they call 283 00:16:32,680 --> 00:16:36,080 Speaker 1: lighting them up um or cells. UM. Every cell has 284 00:16:36,120 --> 00:16:39,520 Speaker 1: a unique protein called a receptor on the surface and 285 00:16:39,600 --> 00:16:42,480 Speaker 1: they bind these chemical messages. That's how cells talk to 286 00:16:42,480 --> 00:16:46,560 Speaker 1: each other basically, And so they use these markers UM 287 00:16:46,600 --> 00:16:49,560 Speaker 1: to identify the adults them cells. They basically tag them, 288 00:16:49,840 --> 00:16:54,640 Speaker 1: tag these chemical messages with fluorescent molecules and then once 289 00:16:54,680 --> 00:16:59,960 Speaker 1: they put that fluorescent chemical in there, it lights up 290 00:17:00,040 --> 00:17:01,920 Speaker 1: under a fluorescent light, so they make them kind of 291 00:17:01,920 --> 00:17:04,320 Speaker 1: glow in the dark. Yeah, because that chemical message is 292 00:17:04,359 --> 00:17:07,399 Speaker 1: now bound to the only type of cell that's it 293 00:17:07,440 --> 00:17:10,320 Speaker 1: will bind to the stem cell. So then yeah, when 294 00:17:10,320 --> 00:17:12,199 Speaker 1: you hit it with the black light, somebody should have 295 00:17:12,240 --> 00:17:15,880 Speaker 1: won a Nobel price for that too, in my opinion, 296 00:17:16,960 --> 00:17:21,240 Speaker 1: black light. But it's the same as embryonic stem cells. UM. 297 00:17:21,320 --> 00:17:24,160 Speaker 1: You can grow these in a petri dish. You can 298 00:17:24,240 --> 00:17:27,600 Speaker 1: establish a new cell line, and they are extremely useful. 299 00:17:27,760 --> 00:17:31,680 Speaker 1: And like you said there, they naturally say in the liver, 300 00:17:31,920 --> 00:17:37,800 Speaker 1: create new liver cells. But they have been shown UM 301 00:17:38,119 --> 00:17:42,840 Speaker 1: trans differentiation to undergo trans differentiation where they can be 302 00:17:42,920 --> 00:17:48,320 Speaker 1: induced to do something slightly different. So like a liver 303 00:17:48,560 --> 00:17:52,320 Speaker 1: stem cell can produce insulin, which is typically produced in 304 00:17:52,359 --> 00:17:55,400 Speaker 1: the pancreas, right, and they haven't. Um, they haven't quite 305 00:17:55,440 --> 00:17:58,000 Speaker 1: figured that out yet, right, No, No, they do not 306 00:17:58,240 --> 00:18:01,439 Speaker 1: know this. Like they know that stems somehow can be 307 00:18:01,520 --> 00:18:04,399 Speaker 1: induced to do different things, they don't know how to 308 00:18:04,440 --> 00:18:06,439 Speaker 1: do it yet. Yeah, this is all super new stuff 309 00:18:07,040 --> 00:18:08,560 Speaker 1: for the most part, I mean, if you're talking since 310 00:18:09,680 --> 00:18:13,240 Speaker 1: not a long time. They did recently figure out these 311 00:18:13,320 --> 00:18:19,040 Speaker 1: uh hemo poet poietic Yeah, hemopoietic stem cell, which is 312 00:18:19,080 --> 00:18:21,320 Speaker 1: a it's a type of blood stem cell that makes 313 00:18:21,359 --> 00:18:24,720 Speaker 1: all different kinds of blood cells. It's a very important one. 314 00:18:25,240 --> 00:18:30,040 Speaker 1: And they found that by looking at zebra fish embryos, 315 00:18:30,080 --> 00:18:34,480 Speaker 1: which are totally transparent. Um, they actually watched these things 316 00:18:34,520 --> 00:18:37,080 Speaker 1: form and they just found out, like within the last 317 00:18:37,080 --> 00:18:40,199 Speaker 1: couple of weeks that these require what they're calling a 318 00:18:40,240 --> 00:18:44,600 Speaker 1: buddy cell to become the type of stem cell that 319 00:18:44,680 --> 00:18:47,920 Speaker 1: forms blood. Right, So now they think that they're one 320 00:18:47,920 --> 00:18:53,760 Speaker 1: step closer to figuring out these hemopoieticum stem cells. They 321 00:18:53,760 --> 00:18:55,520 Speaker 1: don't know what the buddy cell is or where it 322 00:18:55,560 --> 00:18:57,400 Speaker 1: comes from, but then now they know that it needs 323 00:18:57,400 --> 00:18:59,880 Speaker 1: a buddy so that these are kind of like these 324 00:19:00,000 --> 00:19:02,760 Speaker 1: of the kind of piecemeal steps that we're making towards 325 00:19:03,040 --> 00:19:06,120 Speaker 1: understanding stem cells. All right, and then we have our 326 00:19:06,320 --> 00:19:08,640 Speaker 1: well maybe not final because you've already told us about 327 00:19:08,640 --> 00:19:12,159 Speaker 1: the fourth, but the third uh type is what we 328 00:19:12,359 --> 00:19:17,320 Speaker 1: call the induced pluri potent stem cell. And um, that's 329 00:19:17,359 --> 00:19:22,159 Speaker 1: the one that we mentioned was pioneered by Shinya Yamanaka. 330 00:19:22,400 --> 00:19:27,280 Speaker 1: And Sir John almost said, Sir John Gruden. So, Sir 331 00:19:27,359 --> 00:19:31,520 Speaker 1: John Gerdon, Well, who's John Gruden? And sounds so familis 332 00:19:31,600 --> 00:19:36,080 Speaker 1: the NFL coach that looks like, oh yeah, Chucky Job's play. 333 00:19:36,600 --> 00:19:38,640 Speaker 1: He didn't win a Nobel Prize though, but for their 334 00:19:38,640 --> 00:19:41,320 Speaker 1: efforts in two thousand twelve, they did win a Nobel Prize. 335 00:19:42,080 --> 00:19:45,000 Speaker 1: And uh, basically, like you said, they found a way 336 00:19:45,040 --> 00:19:49,840 Speaker 1: to induce these cells to return to their embryonic state, 337 00:19:50,200 --> 00:19:57,480 Speaker 1: which is amazing. Yeah, it sounds like basically they're using epigenetics. Yeah, 338 00:19:57,560 --> 00:19:59,879 Speaker 1: that's a dangerous word to say, too. Well, think of 339 00:20:00,320 --> 00:20:03,000 Speaker 1: so like a cell. What they found is that cells 340 00:20:03,480 --> 00:20:06,840 Speaker 1: change and become the way that they later become, like 341 00:20:06,880 --> 00:20:08,879 Speaker 1: a liver cell or a bone cell or a neuron 342 00:20:09,000 --> 00:20:12,120 Speaker 1: or something like that, because they all have the same 343 00:20:12,200 --> 00:20:17,000 Speaker 1: genetic code in them. But then certain gene sequences are 344 00:20:17,000 --> 00:20:19,480 Speaker 1: either turned on or off in that cell and that 345 00:20:19,640 --> 00:20:22,560 Speaker 1: changes or tells them or directs them to become what 346 00:20:22,920 --> 00:20:25,520 Speaker 1: kind of cell they become. Right, what these guys have 347 00:20:25,640 --> 00:20:29,720 Speaker 1: done is introduced what are called stem cell factors that 348 00:20:29,840 --> 00:20:33,480 Speaker 1: go in and switch everything off to turn them back 349 00:20:33,520 --> 00:20:37,640 Speaker 1: into these plury potent stem cells. The thing that they 350 00:20:37,680 --> 00:20:39,760 Speaker 1: haven't figured out how to do yet is to now 351 00:20:39,880 --> 00:20:44,560 Speaker 1: activate them, to say, here's some new markers to change 352 00:20:44,600 --> 00:20:51,480 Speaker 1: your your gene sequence and uh now become uh liver cell. 353 00:20:51,880 --> 00:20:55,879 Speaker 1: Keep coming back to liver cells. I'm fixated on that. Um, 354 00:20:55,920 --> 00:20:59,040 Speaker 1: that's that's the next step. Yeah. And the great thing 355 00:20:59,080 --> 00:21:01,560 Speaker 1: about the I P s C is that it doesn't 356 00:21:01,600 --> 00:21:04,800 Speaker 1: involve embryos, so that kind of skirched the ethical and 357 00:21:04,840 --> 00:21:07,480 Speaker 1: political side of things. Yeah, because you can take a 358 00:21:07,520 --> 00:21:10,200 Speaker 1: skin cell and again, these guys are having a one 359 00:21:10,240 --> 00:21:13,440 Speaker 1: percent success rate, which is not bad. No, but if 360 00:21:13,480 --> 00:21:16,879 Speaker 1: you if if this, uh this other researcher has figured 361 00:21:16,880 --> 00:21:21,760 Speaker 1: out how to make them at that's even better. Yeah. 362 00:21:21,800 --> 00:21:24,520 Speaker 1: And these are it's such a new um, a new 363 00:21:24,560 --> 00:21:28,159 Speaker 1: process with the I s PC is they need to 364 00:21:28,160 --> 00:21:31,480 Speaker 1: do research to see how effective they are in treatment. Uh, 365 00:21:31,520 --> 00:21:34,520 Speaker 1: if they are identical to embryonics themselves, or if they 366 00:21:34,560 --> 00:21:38,560 Speaker 1: just behave a lot like them. Um, So the proof 367 00:21:38,640 --> 00:21:41,600 Speaker 1: in the pudding will becoming hopefully in recent and uh 368 00:21:42,359 --> 00:21:46,440 Speaker 1: in the coming years exactly, not recent years, in coming years, 369 00:21:46,520 --> 00:21:50,000 Speaker 1: in coming years. So Chuck, let's talk about how they 370 00:21:50,000 --> 00:21:52,720 Speaker 1: hope to actually use stem cells in the future once 371 00:21:52,760 --> 00:22:06,280 Speaker 1: they have mastered these things after this. Okay, So using 372 00:22:06,320 --> 00:22:08,800 Speaker 1: the stem cells is very important. You can create all 373 00:22:08,800 --> 00:22:11,399 Speaker 1: these cell lines and they can live a very great 374 00:22:11,440 --> 00:22:14,560 Speaker 1: life in a petri dish. But unless we're saving lives 375 00:22:14,600 --> 00:22:18,919 Speaker 1: and reversing disease, um, what good are they? Well, so 376 00:22:18,960 --> 00:22:22,520 Speaker 1: far no good. But hopefully what they're what they're thinking of, 377 00:22:22,640 --> 00:22:24,640 Speaker 1: is they'll be able to use these things for say 378 00:22:24,720 --> 00:22:28,080 Speaker 1: like drug drug trials. Yeah, that's huge, because right now 379 00:22:28,119 --> 00:22:29,679 Speaker 1: what you have to do is test something on an 380 00:22:29,680 --> 00:22:33,400 Speaker 1: animal and then think, all right, well, if it does 381 00:22:33,440 --> 00:22:36,160 Speaker 1: this in a mouse, let's try and figure out how 382 00:22:36,200 --> 00:22:39,600 Speaker 1: it might work in a human instead of just testing 383 00:22:39,600 --> 00:22:43,320 Speaker 1: it directly on human cells. Apparently the steps you followed 384 00:22:43,440 --> 00:22:48,560 Speaker 1: are mouse, monkey, human, unless there's in a bowl outbreak 385 00:22:48,600 --> 00:22:51,040 Speaker 1: and then you just go straight to human. Get the 386 00:22:51,119 --> 00:22:55,080 Speaker 1: FDA to pass it. Right. So, if you're if you're 387 00:22:55,119 --> 00:22:57,520 Speaker 1: creating like a heart drug or something, and you can 388 00:22:57,560 --> 00:23:01,679 Speaker 1: induce some um, stem cell else to become heart cells, 389 00:23:01,720 --> 00:23:04,880 Speaker 1: heart tissue, and then test the drug out on this. 390 00:23:05,520 --> 00:23:08,600 Speaker 1: You're basically just running human trials right there. Yeah, you're 391 00:23:08,760 --> 00:23:12,960 Speaker 1: skipping steps, you're saving time, you're saving money, cutting corners. Ah, yeah, 392 00:23:13,000 --> 00:23:18,160 Speaker 1: that is a negative. So that's one that is one 393 00:23:18,400 --> 00:23:22,680 Speaker 1: idea behind a good way to use these stem cells. 394 00:23:23,119 --> 00:23:26,400 Speaker 1: Let them stop living their life of leisure and start 395 00:23:26,440 --> 00:23:30,520 Speaker 1: contributing for once. Yeah, and forget the drug trials. Maybe 396 00:23:30,560 --> 00:23:33,240 Speaker 1: they can actually, like you said earlier, I think of 397 00:23:33,320 --> 00:23:37,240 Speaker 1: the beginning, just inject it right into the heart, let's say, 398 00:23:37,280 --> 00:23:41,320 Speaker 1: to repair damage tissue. And they they've actually had some 399 00:23:41,359 --> 00:23:44,240 Speaker 1: success with this and mice. Again, our understanding of some 400 00:23:44,440 --> 00:23:47,720 Speaker 1: stem cells and what they're doing is kind of primitive. 401 00:23:47,800 --> 00:23:52,400 Speaker 1: But they took mice with bad tickers and they injected 402 00:23:52,440 --> 00:23:56,919 Speaker 1: them with heart stem cells, and um, all of a sudden, 403 00:23:57,000 --> 00:24:00,080 Speaker 1: the mice had like super hearts. But they don't know 404 00:24:00,160 --> 00:24:03,720 Speaker 1: if these stem cells went in and regrew heart like, 405 00:24:03,800 --> 00:24:07,679 Speaker 1: cardiac muscle tissue, new blood vessels. They're not sure why. 406 00:24:07,760 --> 00:24:13,080 Speaker 1: They just know that the mice the arts. Yeah, yeah, 407 00:24:13,280 --> 00:24:16,399 Speaker 1: we're better. Uh. And as they go along testing all 408 00:24:16,400 --> 00:24:18,160 Speaker 1: these things, one of the things they have to get around. 409 00:24:18,200 --> 00:24:22,680 Speaker 1: One of the hurdles is um rejection, like uh, bone 410 00:24:22,680 --> 00:24:25,160 Speaker 1: marrow transplant, any kind of transplant on the body. Really 411 00:24:25,560 --> 00:24:28,280 Speaker 1: there's a chance that your body will reject it and 412 00:24:28,320 --> 00:24:30,840 Speaker 1: say this is a foreign invader, maybe going and attack 413 00:24:30,880 --> 00:24:34,640 Speaker 1: it and kill it. Um. But one of the cool 414 00:24:34,680 --> 00:24:37,919 Speaker 1: things about the I P s C Is since it 415 00:24:37,960 --> 00:24:40,480 Speaker 1: comes from your own body, has a probably a greater 416 00:24:40,600 --> 00:24:44,159 Speaker 1: chance of not being rejected. Yeah. Same with using adult 417 00:24:44,200 --> 00:24:47,359 Speaker 1: stem cells. They're gonna take them from you and use 418 00:24:47,400 --> 00:24:50,880 Speaker 1: them on yourself. So that's very promising as well. So, Chuck, 419 00:24:50,880 --> 00:24:52,960 Speaker 1: we've been kind of skirting around this issue a little bit, 420 00:24:53,000 --> 00:24:57,080 Speaker 1: but um, we we may mention that embryonic stem cells 421 00:24:57,840 --> 00:25:03,440 Speaker 1: do represent a very controversial piece of scientific research because 422 00:25:04,040 --> 00:25:08,960 Speaker 1: to some they represent the destruction of life. Yeah, and 423 00:25:09,000 --> 00:25:12,399 Speaker 1: it it all kind of got started with the Clinton administration. UM. 424 00:25:13,680 --> 00:25:18,680 Speaker 1: The National Institute of Health Human Embryo Research Panel advised 425 00:25:18,680 --> 00:25:25,080 Speaker 1: Billy Boy to authorize funding for research on leftover embryos 426 00:25:25,119 --> 00:25:29,679 Speaker 1: from IVF treatments that we mentioned, uh, and to create 427 00:25:29,800 --> 00:25:35,800 Speaker 1: new embryos um from scratch for research purposes. And he said, 428 00:25:36,760 --> 00:25:39,840 Speaker 1: the first one sounds good, but I don't know about 429 00:25:39,880 --> 00:25:43,679 Speaker 1: that second one. Let me ask new gingrids. Can you 430 00:25:43,720 --> 00:25:47,640 Speaker 1: say that, like, like Clinton, let me ask new Gingrich. 431 00:25:48,440 --> 00:25:50,080 Speaker 1: I thought you were asking me to do a new Gingrich. 432 00:25:50,160 --> 00:25:51,240 Speaker 1: I was like, I have no idea how to do. 433 00:25:51,840 --> 00:25:55,040 Speaker 1: He was pretty Uh he didn't have like a very 434 00:25:55,080 --> 00:26:00,280 Speaker 1: remarkable accent, especially not for being in Georgian. Yeah, that's true. Um. 435 00:26:00,320 --> 00:26:04,320 Speaker 1: So that was and um, like we said, in is 436 00:26:04,359 --> 00:26:07,080 Speaker 1: when things really got rolling because of private funding. But 437 00:26:07,160 --> 00:26:09,680 Speaker 1: by then Congress had already put the brakes on it. Yep, 438 00:26:10,000 --> 00:26:13,520 Speaker 1: because in n there was a writer on another bill 439 00:26:13,640 --> 00:26:17,879 Speaker 1: called the Dickey Wicker Amendment from J. Dickey and Roger Wicker. 440 00:26:17,920 --> 00:26:20,720 Speaker 1: Doesn't that sound like a British amendment? It does? The 441 00:26:21,080 --> 00:26:27,680 Speaker 1: Wicker um probably because of Sticky Wicket in cricket, right right. Uh. 442 00:26:27,680 --> 00:26:32,800 Speaker 1: And they proposed banning federal funding for any research in 443 00:26:32,840 --> 00:26:35,560 Speaker 1: which you destroy the embryo. Yeah, so I mean, like 444 00:26:35,600 --> 00:26:40,359 Speaker 1: it wasn't specifically limited to stem cell research, but like 445 00:26:40,400 --> 00:26:42,240 Speaker 1: we said, to get to the stem cells, you have 446 00:26:42,280 --> 00:26:45,000 Speaker 1: to crack open the blast asist, which destroys the embryo, 447 00:26:45,040 --> 00:26:49,200 Speaker 1: which in effect put the freeze on creating any new 448 00:26:49,400 --> 00:26:52,080 Speaker 1: stem cell lines pretty much. And they've renewed it every 449 00:26:52,119 --> 00:26:56,080 Speaker 1: year since then. Um. But like anything in the US government, 450 00:26:56,080 --> 00:26:58,480 Speaker 1: there's all sorts of ways to get around it, and 451 00:26:58,520 --> 00:27:02,520 Speaker 1: one is the executive order. Right. And Bush came in 452 00:27:02,840 --> 00:27:05,800 Speaker 1: and he issued his own executive orders, right, which kind 453 00:27:05,800 --> 00:27:11,040 Speaker 1: of strengthened the existing rules on embryonic research. Yeah, and 454 00:27:11,080 --> 00:27:13,320 Speaker 1: that's the one where he said you could use federal 455 00:27:13,359 --> 00:27:17,240 Speaker 1: funds only on those established lines, either the nineteen or 456 00:27:17,240 --> 00:27:20,560 Speaker 1: the twenty two, uh, depending on guess where you're getting 457 00:27:20,600 --> 00:27:26,399 Speaker 1: your info. And um, it prevented basically any funding federal 458 00:27:26,400 --> 00:27:29,760 Speaker 1: funding for creating these new lines. Um. So, like you 459 00:27:29,760 --> 00:27:33,359 Speaker 1: said earlier, I think they were grandfathered in, right. And 460 00:27:33,359 --> 00:27:36,000 Speaker 1: and the problem with that is, I mean, these stem 461 00:27:36,040 --> 00:27:39,239 Speaker 1: cell lines can produce millions of new stem cells and 462 00:27:39,359 --> 00:27:43,440 Speaker 1: within a matter of months, but you need even more 463 00:27:43,960 --> 00:27:47,040 Speaker 1: for decent research. So there was in the United States 464 00:27:47,040 --> 00:27:49,760 Speaker 1: at least a lot of there was a huge freezing 465 00:27:49,800 --> 00:27:54,000 Speaker 1: effect on stem cell research. It just wasn't nearly as 466 00:27:54,040 --> 00:27:57,639 Speaker 1: widespread as it could be, at least if you wanted 467 00:27:57,680 --> 00:28:02,320 Speaker 1: federal funding for your lab. Yeah. Um. And so under Bush, 468 00:28:02,440 --> 00:28:05,399 Speaker 1: the I guess there was just there was still this 469 00:28:05,520 --> 00:28:09,520 Speaker 1: huge national debate about it, and the Bush administration sided 470 00:28:09,600 --> 00:28:14,879 Speaker 1: with the pro life lobby and said no, you guys 471 00:28:14,880 --> 00:28:18,159 Speaker 1: can just do this, but how about this, I mean 472 00:28:18,200 --> 00:28:20,879 Speaker 1: to issue an executive order encouraging you to go figure 473 00:28:20,880 --> 00:28:23,760 Speaker 1: out a way to start new stem cell lines without 474 00:28:23,840 --> 00:28:29,520 Speaker 1: destroying embryos. Go, and I guess you can kind of say. Well, 475 00:28:29,600 --> 00:28:33,479 Speaker 1: then after that there was the induced plur potent stem cells. 476 00:28:34,080 --> 00:28:35,879 Speaker 1: I think they were probably already working on those. I 477 00:28:35,880 --> 00:28:38,760 Speaker 1: don't know if it was a tribute to Bush's challenge 478 00:28:38,840 --> 00:28:42,120 Speaker 1: or anything like that, but it did come after that. Yeah, 479 00:28:42,240 --> 00:28:45,040 Speaker 1: So that was all in two thousand one ish, and 480 00:28:45,040 --> 00:28:47,200 Speaker 1: then UH in two thousand five. By the time that 481 00:28:47,240 --> 00:28:52,480 Speaker 1: came around, UM, the House and the Senate both UM, 482 00:28:53,160 --> 00:28:55,440 Speaker 1: even modern Republicans started to kind of get on board 483 00:28:55,480 --> 00:28:57,600 Speaker 1: a little bit more, say, Hey, maybe we need to 484 00:28:57,680 --> 00:29:00,400 Speaker 1: broaden this thing a little bit because it's super promising. 485 00:29:00,960 --> 00:29:04,520 Speaker 1: So let's introduce a couple of a couple of acts, 486 00:29:04,560 --> 00:29:07,360 Speaker 1: the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of two thousand five, 487 00:29:07,920 --> 00:29:10,600 Speaker 1: and that would have allowed federal funding of research on 488 00:29:11,200 --> 00:29:14,520 Speaker 1: UH these new lines, not those grandfathered in only from 489 00:29:14,560 --> 00:29:19,480 Speaker 1: the discarded embryos um from fertility treatments. The House passed 490 00:29:19,480 --> 00:29:24,360 Speaker 1: it to UH. Senate passed it six three to thirty seven, 491 00:29:24,800 --> 00:29:26,920 Speaker 1: and Bush vetoed that. He said he was gonna veto it. 492 00:29:26,920 --> 00:29:28,880 Speaker 1: It's one of those deals. He's like, go ahead and vote, 493 00:29:28,880 --> 00:29:31,800 Speaker 1: I'm gonna veto it. They voted, he vetoed it. Uh, 494 00:29:31,840 --> 00:29:34,080 Speaker 1: they did not. They tried to override the veto the 495 00:29:34,120 --> 00:29:36,680 Speaker 1: House did, but they failed to. And then the stem 496 00:29:36,680 --> 00:29:40,680 Speaker 1: Cell Research Enhancement Act of two thousand seven was similar 497 00:29:41,160 --> 00:29:44,000 Speaker 1: to the original and two thousand five that passed the 498 00:29:44,000 --> 00:29:47,200 Speaker 1: Senate and House as well, and uh, Bush vetoed that 499 00:29:47,200 --> 00:29:50,520 Speaker 1: one as well. Okay, so that was the climate that 500 00:29:50,840 --> 00:29:54,120 Speaker 1: the Obama comes in. Yeah, and and uh again he 501 00:29:54,320 --> 00:29:56,520 Speaker 1: you know, Bush wasn't saying I hate stem cell research. 502 00:29:56,600 --> 00:30:00,760 Speaker 1: It's it's stupid and I want people to die. He 503 00:30:00,880 --> 00:30:03,400 Speaker 1: was saying, we should only do it in certain ways 504 00:30:04,240 --> 00:30:07,040 Speaker 1: that don't violate, Uh, what a lot of people feel 505 00:30:07,080 --> 00:30:11,120 Speaker 1: like are you know, life begins that, you know that 506 00:30:11,280 --> 00:30:13,760 Speaker 1: very first day? Right, So Obama comes in and says, 507 00:30:13,800 --> 00:30:18,120 Speaker 1: forget that, if you have your nineteen or twenty two 508 00:30:18,160 --> 00:30:20,880 Speaker 1: stem cell lines, you can get federal funding for working 509 00:30:20,880 --> 00:30:23,560 Speaker 1: on those lines. Everybody, that's cool, And how about some 510 00:30:23,640 --> 00:30:27,280 Speaker 1: new lines? If somebody is going to discard embryos from 511 00:30:27,320 --> 00:30:30,560 Speaker 1: in vitro fertilization, and they want to donate them. And 512 00:30:30,640 --> 00:30:33,040 Speaker 1: these people are aware that these things are going to 513 00:30:33,080 --> 00:30:36,880 Speaker 1: be used for medical research. Then you can create new 514 00:30:36,960 --> 00:30:40,239 Speaker 1: stem cell lines using federal funding and that you're not 515 00:30:40,280 --> 00:30:43,840 Speaker 1: paying those people. That was the final step. Yeah. Um. 516 00:30:43,960 --> 00:30:46,800 Speaker 1: And so a couple of ironically, a couple of stem 517 00:30:46,800 --> 00:30:51,120 Speaker 1: cell researchers sued um to get these rules stopped from 518 00:30:51,160 --> 00:30:56,640 Speaker 1: being put into place. Um, and they actually won. Uh. 519 00:30:56,720 --> 00:31:02,160 Speaker 1: Their case was overturned on appeals I believe, who basically 520 00:31:02,280 --> 00:31:05,040 Speaker 1: also said, you know what this uh, what is it? 521 00:31:05,080 --> 00:31:09,320 Speaker 1: The Dicky Whate Amendment, the sticky wick, the wick, the 522 00:31:09,400 --> 00:31:12,840 Speaker 1: Dicky Wicker Amendment is overly broad, and so we're gonna 523 00:31:12,880 --> 00:31:15,040 Speaker 1: limit this and everything. Obama just said in his an 524 00:31:15,040 --> 00:31:18,000 Speaker 1: executive order, just go ahead, and we're gonna go forward 525 00:31:18,000 --> 00:31:21,000 Speaker 1: with those rules. So that's the current state of affairs 526 00:31:21,080 --> 00:31:26,160 Speaker 1: right now, is an appeals court interpreted this legislative act 527 00:31:26,520 --> 00:31:30,760 Speaker 1: is overly broad, and we're operating under an executive order 528 00:31:31,200 --> 00:31:35,880 Speaker 1: that's allowing federal funding for embryonic stem cell research to continue. 529 00:31:36,360 --> 00:31:39,920 Speaker 1: Nothing's really changed as far as the national conversation goes. 530 00:31:39,960 --> 00:31:43,480 Speaker 1: It feels like it's just died down. A bit as 531 00:31:43,520 --> 00:31:48,160 Speaker 1: far as the volume goes. And um, they've never banned research. 532 00:31:48,240 --> 00:31:53,520 Speaker 1: It's just a matter of restrictions on federal funding and use. Um. Yeah, 533 00:31:53,520 --> 00:31:58,000 Speaker 1: well they also didn't ban research on gun violence. They 534 00:31:58,040 --> 00:32:02,200 Speaker 1: just stopped funding that too. That's right, remember that I do. Yeah, 535 00:32:02,560 --> 00:32:07,040 Speaker 1: you got anything else? I got nothing else? Okay, Well 536 00:32:07,040 --> 00:32:10,480 Speaker 1: that's stem cells at least as far as um it 537 00:32:10,520 --> 00:32:16,480 Speaker 1: goes in August two thousand fourteen. Yeah, two thousand fourteen. 538 00:32:16,960 --> 00:32:19,920 Speaker 1: I'm sure that in five years it's gonna be a 539 00:32:19,920 --> 00:32:22,760 Speaker 1: whole new world. Yeah, you never know, we might see 540 00:32:22,760 --> 00:32:25,920 Speaker 1: the end of Parkinson's and MS and Alzheimer's and it 541 00:32:26,040 --> 00:32:29,200 Speaker 1: just inject some new cells in there. Uh. If you 542 00:32:29,200 --> 00:32:31,240 Speaker 1: want to more about stem cells, you can type those 543 00:32:31,280 --> 00:32:33,840 Speaker 1: words into the search part how stuff works dot com. 544 00:32:34,080 --> 00:32:36,320 Speaker 1: And uh, since I said search parts, time for a 545 00:32:36,320 --> 00:32:40,720 Speaker 1: listener mail. I'm gonna call this banana flavoring. Um. I 546 00:32:40,760 --> 00:32:45,880 Speaker 1: can't remember which podcast it was, Plato, but um I 547 00:32:45,920 --> 00:32:48,240 Speaker 1: said that I didn't never like banana flavoring and stuff, 548 00:32:48,320 --> 00:32:52,080 Speaker 1: but I like bananas, and you were like what. We 549 00:32:52,200 --> 00:32:54,840 Speaker 1: got quite a few emails explaining this, and I'm super 550 00:32:54,840 --> 00:32:56,840 Speaker 1: happy because I get it now. Um, and this is 551 00:32:56,880 --> 00:33:00,240 Speaker 1: from Elliott. Um, you guys seem to be unaware of 552 00:33:00,320 --> 00:33:04,480 Speaker 1: why the flavor is different. Currently, we most commonly enjoy 553 00:33:04,560 --> 00:33:08,600 Speaker 1: what is called the Cavendish banana. Have you ever heard 554 00:33:08,640 --> 00:33:11,160 Speaker 1: of that? Yeah? I did it. Don't be dumb on 555 00:33:11,280 --> 00:33:14,840 Speaker 1: banana clone? Oh you did? Well? How about that? Uh? 556 00:33:15,160 --> 00:33:17,880 Speaker 1: There are the long yellow bananas people like to have 557 00:33:17,960 --> 00:33:21,320 Speaker 1: on their Sundays. Before the nineteen sixties, and most commonly 558 00:33:21,320 --> 00:33:26,520 Speaker 1: purchased banana was the the big Mic or the gross Mikael. 559 00:33:27,200 --> 00:33:32,680 Speaker 1: I guess it came from Germany. It's definitely gross means big. Uh. 560 00:33:32,720 --> 00:33:35,520 Speaker 1: There are the bananas. These are the bananas that banana 561 00:33:35,600 --> 00:33:39,560 Speaker 1: candy is based on. Um. After Panama disease, which was 562 00:33:39,560 --> 00:33:42,240 Speaker 1: a fungus, wiped out large amounts of big mics, most 563 00:33:42,240 --> 00:33:44,880 Speaker 1: markets switched over to the Cavendish. The worry now is 564 00:33:44,920 --> 00:33:47,040 Speaker 1: that the Cavendish may be affected in the same way soon. 565 00:33:47,800 --> 00:33:52,640 Speaker 1: UM Mono cultures aren't the best plan, apparently, So essentially, 566 00:33:52,800 --> 00:33:54,800 Speaker 1: the bananas that we eat now that we know and love, 567 00:33:55,800 --> 00:33:58,080 Speaker 1: the banana flavoring that they use is not based on 568 00:33:58,120 --> 00:34:02,600 Speaker 1: those bananas, and that's why it taste weird. Um. That's 569 00:34:02,640 --> 00:34:05,200 Speaker 1: pretty interesting and a lot of people send this in 570 00:34:05,280 --> 00:34:07,520 Speaker 1: so I tend to believe it because if like four 571 00:34:07,520 --> 00:34:10,479 Speaker 1: people say something, yeah, it's definitely right. Uh. And here's 572 00:34:10,480 --> 00:34:12,839 Speaker 1: an extra factory, he says. Cherry flavor is based on 573 00:34:13,440 --> 00:34:16,880 Speaker 1: Maraschino cherries, which is which are in turn flavored with 574 00:34:16,920 --> 00:34:20,440 Speaker 1: almond extracts. So cherry flavored candy is somewhat almond flavored. 575 00:34:21,320 --> 00:34:23,000 Speaker 1: And thanks for the great show. I look forward to 576 00:34:23,160 --> 00:34:26,360 Speaker 1: every episode. And that is from Elliott. Thanks Elliott, good 577 00:34:26,440 --> 00:34:30,120 Speaker 1: stuff there, Cavendish Big Mica had no idea. Yeah, and 578 00:34:30,280 --> 00:34:33,239 Speaker 1: like bananas are all a sexual, so every banana that 579 00:34:33,280 --> 00:34:36,920 Speaker 1: you've ever had is an exact clone of its pro 580 00:34:37,040 --> 00:34:39,880 Speaker 1: janitor crazy and that I'm gonna watch that Don't Be 581 00:34:39,960 --> 00:34:43,960 Speaker 1: Dumb episode. Let's do it right now. Yeah, Okay, if 582 00:34:44,000 --> 00:34:46,719 Speaker 1: you want to check out Don't Be Dumb, you can 583 00:34:46,719 --> 00:34:49,239 Speaker 1: go to our website, but first you should get in 584 00:34:49,280 --> 00:34:52,120 Speaker 1: touch with us via s Y s K podcast on Twitter, 585 00:34:52,440 --> 00:34:55,160 Speaker 1: at our Facebook dot com slash stuff you Should Know page. 586 00:34:55,760 --> 00:34:57,799 Speaker 1: You can email us if you want and just send 587 00:34:57,880 --> 00:35:00,000 Speaker 1: it to stuff podcast at how stuff first dot com 588 00:35:00,080 --> 00:35:02,680 Speaker 1: um and you can check out all of our videos, 589 00:35:02,719 --> 00:35:04,879 Speaker 1: all of our cool stuff, and just generally hang out 590 00:35:04,920 --> 00:35:06,560 Speaker 1: and be our friends at our home on the web, 591 00:35:07,000 --> 00:35:15,040 Speaker 1: the clubhouse known as stuff you dot com. 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