Embryonic Stem Cells & their Controversy (unbiased view)
Summary
TLDRThis video delves into the controversy surrounding embryonic stem cell research. It explains the science behind stem cells, their potential in treating various diseases, and the ethical debate on their use. The video outlines the process of fertilization, the development of a zygote into a blastocyst containing stem cells, and the destruction of the blastocyst during stem cell extraction. It also touches on the history of federal regulations, including President Obama's 2009 executive order lifting funding restrictions on such research, and encourages viewers to form their own opinions on the matter.
Takeaways
- ๐ Stem cells are controversial due to their potential use in scientific research and the ethical questions surrounding their origin from human embryos.
- ๐ฌ The script aims to educate without bias, allowing viewers to form their own opinions on the use of stem cells in research.
- ๐งฌ Stem cells are unique because they can develop into any type of cell in the human body, offering potential for treating various diseases and conditions.
- ๐ถ The controversy arises from the destruction of the blastocyst, an early stage of embryonic development, during the extraction of stem cells.
- ๐ซ Some people argue that destroying a blastocyst is equivalent to taking a human life, as they believe life begins at the moment of fertilization.
- ๐งช Stem cell research is promising for treating conditions like traumatic brain injury, muscular dystrophy, and other diseases where cell replacement is needed.
- ๐ง The script explains the process of in vitro fertilization (IVF), which often results in leftover embryos that can be used for stem cell research.
- ๐บ๐ธ The U.S. federal government's stance on stem cell research has evolved, with President Obama's executive order 13505 lifting restrictions on federal funding for such research.
- ๐ The Supreme Court's decision not to hear a lawsuit against the executive order has allowed the funding and research to continue without the previous restrictions.
- ๐ค The video encourages viewers to reflect on their personal ethics, morals, and beliefs to form a stance on the controversial issue of embryonic stem cell research.
Q & A
What is the main topic of the video?
-The main topic of the video is the controversy surrounding the use of stem cells, specifically embryonic stem cells, for scientific research.
Why are stem cells considered controversial?
-Stem cells are controversial because some people believe that human life begins at the moment of fertilization, and the extraction of embryonic stem cells destroys the blastocyst, which they equate to the destruction of a human life.
What is a haploid cell?
-A haploid cell is a cell that contains half the number of chromosomes of a species' normal diploid cells. In humans, haploid cells like egg cells have 23 chromosomes instead of the usual 46.
What happens during the process of mitosis?
-Mitosis is a type of cell division that results in two daughter cells each having the same number and kind of chromosomes as the parent nucleus, leading to the formation of a blastocyst from a zygote.
What is a blastocyst and what role do embryonic stem cells play within it?
-A blastocyst is a stage in embryonic development consisting of a cluster of cells in a fluid-filled cavity. Embryonic stem cells within the blastocyst have the potential to become any type of cell in the human body.
How does the process of in vitro fertilization relate to stem cell research?
-In vitro fertilization (IVF) creates multiple zygotes, some of which may not be used for implantation. The leftover blastocysts can be used for embryonic stem cell research, which is a source of controversy.
What is the potential benefit of stem cell research as discussed in the video?
-Stem cell research holds the potential to develop treatments for various diseases and conditions by replacing damaged cells with new, healthy cells.
What was the stance of the U.S. federal government on stem cell research during George W. Bush's presidency?
-During George W. Bush's presidency, there were restrictions on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research.
What change was made regarding stem cell research funding under President Barack Obama?
-President Barack Obama signed Executive Order 13505, which removed the funding restrictions on embryonic stem cell research that were in place under the previous administration.
What was the Supreme Court's decision regarding the challenge to Executive Order 13505?
-The Supreme Court decided not to hear a lawsuit aimed at blocking Executive Order 13505, allowing the order to stand and the restrictions on funding to be removed.
Outlines
๐ฑ Introduction to Stem Cells and Controversy
The video begins by addressing the controversial nature of stem cell research, aiming to educate viewers on the topic without bias. It introduces stem cells and sets the stage for a deeper exploration of their potential and the ethical debates surrounding their use. The presenter emphasizes the importance of understanding the scientific and societal arguments for and against stem cell research, hinting at the complexity of the issue.
๐ฌ Stem Cell Research and Its Potential
This paragraph delves into the process of stem cell research, illustrating how a stem cell might be extracted from a blastocyst, which is a stage in early embryonic development. It discusses the potential therapeutic uses of stem cells, suggesting that they could be used to replace damaged cells in the body. The video uses a fictional example of a person with brain damage who might benefit from stem cell therapy, highlighting the promise of regenerative medicine. It also mentions various diseases and conditions where stem cell treatments show promise.
๐ซ Ethical Concerns and the Debate on Life's Beginning
The script turns to the ethical controversy of stem cell research, focusing on the destruction of the blastocyst during the extraction of embryonic stem cells. It presents the argument that some people believe life begins at the moment of fertilization, and thus, the destruction of a blastocyst equates to the taking of a human life. This section emphasizes the moral and ethical considerations that fuel the debate on stem cell research, urging viewers to reflect on their own beliefs and values.
๐ฅ In Vitro Fertilization and Government Stance on Stem Cell Research
The final paragraph explains the process of in vitro fertilization (IVF) and how it relates to the source of stem cells for research. It describes how excess embryos created during IVF are sometimes used for stem cell research, further complicating the ethical debate. The video concludes with a discussion of the U.S. federal government's position on stem cell research, noting the lifting of funding restrictions by President Barack Obama in 2009 and the Supreme Court's decision in 2013 to allow this policy to stand, reflecting the ongoing legal and political dimensions of the issue.
Mindmap
Keywords
๐กStem Cells
๐กControversy
๐กEmbryo
๐กMitosis
๐กBlastocyst
๐กFertilization
๐กEthics
๐กIn Vitro Fertilization (IVF)
๐กZygote
๐กEmbryonic Stem Cell Research
๐กFederal Policy
Highlights
The video discusses the controversy surrounding stem cell research and aims to educate viewers on the topic without bias.
Stem cells are unique because they have the potential to become any type of cell in the human body.
Embryonic stem cells are derived from the early stage of human development, specifically from the blastocyst.
The process of fertilization and the formation of a zygote are explained, highlighting the combination of chromosomes from both parents.
The video illustrates the division of a zygote into a blastocyst through the cellular process of mitosis.
The destruction of the blastocyst during the extraction of embryonic stem cells is a central point of ethical controversy.
Stem cell research holds promise for treating various diseases and conditions, including traumatic brain injury.
The video presents a fictional example of how stem cells could be used to treat brain damage from a motorcycle accident.
The potential of stem cells to grow into new cells that replace damaged ones is a key focus of current research.
The video outlines the process of in vitro fertilization and how it can lead to the creation of excess blastocysts.
Leftover blastocysts from in vitro fertilization are often used for embryonic stem cell research.
The ethical debate is centered on whether human life begins at the point of zygote formation, influencing views on stem cell research.
The video discusses the U.S. federal government's stance on stem cell research, including changes in funding policies.
President Barack Obama's executive order 13505 removed funding restrictions on embryonic stem cell research.
The Supreme Court's decision not to hear a lawsuit against the executive order effectively upheld the policy change.
The video concludes by encouraging viewers to form their own opinions on the ethical considerations of stem cell research.
Transcripts
okay so the topic in this video is what
are stem cells but more specifically why
are they so controversial there's kind
of an argument going on in our society
on the use of stem cells for scientific
research and I really would hope that
you by the end of this video can
understand the controversy and at least
make a defense uh Pro or con depending
on what side of the of the argument that
you're on I I do not plan to give my
personal views the point point of this
video is simply to educate I hope the
tone of my voice or the words that I use
don't accidentally let my opinions be
shown so let's go ahead and get
started so you think of stem cells well
before we get into stem cells we need to
turn back the clock a little bit well
here's a woman's egg cell and so
fertilizing the egg so here is a female
egg cell and it's haid and if you
remember from science class you know
half is a vocabulary word that means
it's a cell with half the total number
of chromosomes that that a species
normally has in humans we normally have
46
chromosomes egg cells are haid which
means they have 23 so in that blue
nucleus of the picture are 23
chromosomes and here come many sperm
cells from the soon Tobe father so here
come a whole bunch of sperm cells and in
reality again men release millions and
millions of sperm cells
sperm cells also are haid just like
female egg cells so there's 23
chromosomes in each of these five sperm
cells that I've drawn and so uh
fertilizing the egg well one sperm will
eventually penetrate the egg and not the
entire sperm by the way in the animation
in a moment you're going to see just
kind of like the head of the sperm will
enter the egg and the nucleus of the egg
will combine with the nucleus of the
sperm here we go in our
there goes the head of the sperm and the
nucleus of the sperm fuses with the
nucleus of the egg 23 chromosomes from
the sperm 23 chromosomes from the egg
you now have what's called a fertilized
egg or a zygote with 46 chromosomes
congratulations mom's
pregnant well that that zygote that
fertilized egg that zygote is going to
multiply by the cellular process called
mitosis so for 9 months that zygote is
going to divide and become two cells and
four and six and eight and so on so here
we so like it says the Mito mitosis is
going to divide the zygote one cell
becomes two two become four by the way
it's not a zygote anymore uh it's simply
a a growing embryo I guess and so here
it divides again and divides again and
divides again and again and again and
again well let's zoom out a little bit
let's zoom out a little bit and see kind
of what it looks like in this early
stage
so when we zoom out we kind of see this
round circular structure and I want to
label a few things first of all overall
this round object is what is called a
blastos syy so the cells have divided
many times and it forms this round
object called a blastos it's filled with
a fluid that white space in the middle
is filled with a fluid it's not filled
with empty Hollow air uh the Outer Gray
ring of cells eventually are going to
become the placenta of the developing
baby the placenta is kind of like the
sack that the baby will grow
within now the lump of green in the
middle the that's what's important I
want you to pay attention to this mass
of inside cells right there in green
These Are embryonic stem cells
eventually this green mass will grow
into the baby but for now we're only you
know perhaps only a few days to a couple
weeks into uh the development of the
embryo so these green cells are stem
cells
and so I want you to pay attention to
the green embryonic stem cells in the
picture what's so unique about them well
what's so unique about embryonic stem
cells is that they don't have specified
functions yet they have the potential to
become any type of cell in the human
body as the embryo develops further and
further and further some of those stem
cells will eventually become brain cells
other stem cells will eventually become
muscle cells other stem cells will
eventually become liver cells but in
this early stage they don't have
specified functions yet these are what
we call stem
cells so if cell division continues for
nine months eventually the embryo grows
into a baby hopefully it's a healthy
baby boy or healthy baby girl 10 fingers
10 toes hopefully the kid kid lives
happily ever after well let's kind of go
into the research
now okay when we look at stem cell
research so during research so here was
our blast assyst again a stem cell might
be removed from this blasticus so let's
remove one of the green stem cells from
that blasticus now we're going to come
back to this in a moment but
unfortunately removing that stem cell
destroys the remainder of the blast assy
we're going to come back to that in a
few minutes because that kind of is the
heart of the
controversy but for now I want to focus
on that green stem cell that's been
removed that stem cell is going to be
grown into a grouping of stem cells so
let's remove the blasty it's sadly it's
been destroyed in this process so that
one green stem cell multiplies and
multiplies and multiplies and multiplies
and multiplies again this is all in a
lab now this isn't in a woman's uh
uterus or anything this is in in a lab
in a Petri dish we have what's called
here a line of stem cells if you've ever
heard the term a stem cell line it's a
small group of stem stem cells derived
from one original stem
cell and so when we continue uh stem
cells what's so neat about them what's
so promising about them is stem cells
are thought to be able to grow into new
cells that might be able to replace
damaged cells let me go through a little
fictional example
here here we have a motorcycle accident
and so let's say that a gentleman a
gentleman by the name of Lewis was
involved in a motorcycle accident
and as a result of the accident Lewis
sadly suffered brain damage you know he
survived the crash the helmet provided
him some protection but still the impact
was fairly traumatic and he had some
brain damage as a result well you know
let's zoom on in to that to the damaged
area of his brain for a closer
look when we zoom on in here's what we
see notice those pink cells have a key
that just popped up those pink cells are
healthy cells and the gray cells pretend
are the cells that were damaged in the
motorcycle
accident well what we've what we're
seeing and why research is so promising
we're seeing that by placing stem cells
around the damaged area that the the
cells around the damaged area those
implanted stem cells will grow into
healthy brain cells
hopefully as a way to treat I don't want
to go so far as to say cure but at least
provide treatment that perhaps LS in
this fictional example can be treated
and have a higher quality quality of
life maybe regain some of the uh the the
regain some of his abilities that
perhaps he lost as a result of the
accident so that's kind of what the
promise of stem cell research is now in
this example I had the stem cells become
brain cells but research is promising in
other areas
as you know here's a picture right here
and you know in a moment pause the video
and kind of check out the the chart in a
little more detail but here's a list of
diseases and conditions or stem cell
treatment is promising or emerging or
developing treatments and you can see
one of them on the list is traumatic
brain injury kind of like the example we
went over with our motorcycle accident
you know in that example I had the stem
cells turn into muscle cells or excuse
me in that example I had the stem cells
turn into brain cells but again we're
seeing that stem cells can be can be
turned into muscle cells to help people
with for instance muscular distrophy and
so uh there there's a great list of
promise that comes from stem cell
therapies so let's come back to this
picture here where we talked about stem
cell research and so what stem cell
research is trying to do is we're trying
to learn more of the secrets we're
trying to discover the secret of how
stem cells of embryonic stem cells
become specific cells we want to know
what causes some embryonic stem cells to
become muscle cells what causes other
embryonic stem cells to become liver
cells what causes uh I should say excuse
me um Can healthy cells can healthy
cells be turned backwards into stem
cells and therefore once we have them
turned backwards into stem cells can we
then turn them forward back into
something else of our desire you know
these are some of the areas that are
being researched and again as I
mentioned uh we're still kind of in the
early stages of This research but the
research is very promising so what about
the controversy we really need to
understand that
now so why is this controversial I kind
of glossed over it a few moments ago now
I really want to focus on that so
remember the egg cell at the very
beginning of the video we saw this egg
cell with 23 chromosomes inside of the
blue nucleus well here come all the
sperm cells again five sperm cells each
of the sperm cells has 23 chromosomes as
well so the egg and the sperm are haid
cells and so one sperm is going to
fertilize the egg just like we saw a
moment ago and make a zygote a
fertilized egg with 46 chromosomes I
hope you remember what happens
next that zygote is going to multiply by
the process of mitosis over and over and
over again
so here we see the zygote dividing by
mitosis over and over and over and over
again and we saw this earlier well let's
Zoom back out the cells continue to
divide let's Zoom back out
and when we Zoom back out we see that
lump of cells again called a blast assy
we saw this picture earlier now we're
going to get into why this process and
and the This research is so
controversial so during research we
mentioned a moment ago that a stem cell
will removed from that Blas assy and and
I brought this up earlier but I didn't
really stress uh why this is such a
controversial Topic in our
society during the extraction of that
green embryonic stem cell the blasy is
destroyed and this is where the topic
gets
controversial the argument that some
make those who are against embryonic
stem cell research the argument they
make is that they feel that human life
begins when a zygote is created human
life begins when a fertilized egg is
created so therefore if the blasey is
destroyed that's the same thing as the
as killing of a human of a human being
and so that is where we get into some of
the controversies around embryonic stem
cell research even though some very very
good therapies and treatments are coming
out of this research the argument is is
that perhaps ethically this is not a
sound practice because of the destroying
of the blast assist now if you're
watching this video I hope you
personally will do some reflection you
know look at your ethics your morals
perhaps your religious stance and I hope
you will come up with your own view
again I'm trying to leave my personal
view out of this the topic of this video
is hopefully to Simply
educate and so you think about what
where do all these research companies
and universities where do they get their
stem cells from well if you've heard of
a process called invitro fertilization
you may have heard of of a of a test
tube baby well that's really what
invitro fertilization is in invitro
fertilization what it is it's a process
used by parents who are not able to
conceive a child the natural way through
sex for whatever reason maybe there's uh
there's some there's some kind of defect
either with the male reproductive system
or the female reproductive system and a
let's say a married couple is just not
able to conceive the natural way they
can go to a clinic and have what's
called invital fertilization
done and what happens during this
process so here's a picture of a woman's
uh reproductive system and if we look at
the two ovaries you might know that
inside of each of the woman's ovaries
are thousands and thousands of of egg
cells and so during the process egg
cells are removed surgically from the
mother's ovaries so I took about a dozen
or so egg cells out in this
animation so there are the dozen egg
cells that we that we just removed
surgically from the mother's ovaries
well what happens next in invitro
fertilization next sperm from the father
will be used to fertilize each
egg hopefully you know that when it
comes to getting sperm from a male you
don't need surgery to get sperm from a
male it's pretty easy to get sperm from
a from a male so use your imagination so
sperm will be will be taken from the
maale and will be used to fertilize each
of these eggs and so therefore many
zygotes are created and this is all
happening outside of the woman's body
it's happening in in a lab dish in a
Petri dish so again this is not
happening naturally inside of a woman's
body well when we continue to look at
what happens next what H happens with
these 12 or so zygotes is eventually
they're going to grow they're going to
go through mitosis each one of them is
going to grow into a blasty so here we
have about a dozen or so
blastocysts what happens next a few of
the blasticus not all 12 a few of them I
have three of them pulsing in the video
right now three blasticus perhaps are
going to be implanted into the uterus of
the hopeful mother so perhaps these
three that are pulsing have been deemed
to be healthier uh and and therefore the
best chance to grow inside of the uterus
of the woman so those three are going to
be implanted now the reason they they
plant usually more than one is because
the odds of all three successfully
taking and growing into a baby are very
slim chances are um one or two or
perhaps even all three of them aren't
going to survive and you kind of got to
go over start over with the next group
of blastic ists but every now and then
you know one of them might take and so
what happens if the woman becomes
pregnant well good for her at least
she's going to now her and and the
father are going to become parents but
what what happens with these leftover in
my animation here in my video here what
happens with these nine leftover blast
assists if a woman becomes pregnant she
doesn't really need these anymore so
what happens is they're they're simply
destroyed as Medical
waste or here's where the research comes
in a lot of times these blastocysts will
be used in embryonic stem cell research
so this is where this is where you know
universities and private organizations
that are doing research this is where
they obtain their uh their stem cells
from right
here and so again keep in mind what the
controversy is again is that some
believe that life begins at the zygote
and therefore each Blas assy that is
destroyed is the same thing as killing a
human life again your job is to you know
weigh your own uh your own thoughts and
come up with your own
stance so let's wrap up this video and
quickly go over what is the federal
government's view on stem cell research
well March 9th 2009 President Barack
Obama signed executive order
13505 and what what this order did is
that it removed funding restrictions
that were placed on embryonic stem cell
research under the George Bush
Administration George W Bush the second
Bush George Bush to George Bush Jr and
so during George Bush's presidency there
were some restrictions that were placed
on the funding of embryonic stem cell
research with Federal taxpayer money and
so uh one what what what this executive
order did was remove those those
restrictions on funding and so this
allowed more research to be done on
embryonic stem cells and one of the
quotes the comments that that Barack
Obama made as he signed this executive
order was that we make scientific
decisions based on facts not idiology so
you may not you may not agree with this
particular decision but this is our
current view governmental view on stemar
research on January 7th 2013 the Supreme
Court rejected to hear a lawsuit that
was meant to block executive order
13505 so because the Supreme Court
refused to hear this lawsuit uh the
executive order was enacted and
currently uh those restrictions that
were under the George Bush years were
have been removed so that really
concludes this particular video on
embryonic stem cell controversies again
I hope I didn't include any tones in my
voice I sure didn't mean to if I did I
really wanted to just educate and inform
and allow you the viewer to kind of
weigh this information and uh uh and and
take it from there so I hope you found
the video helpful thank you for
watching
Browse More Related Video
Embryonic stem cells | Cells | MCAT | Khan Academy
Stem cells | Cells | MCAT | Khan Academy
GCSE Biology - What are Stem Cells? Difference Between Embryonic and Adult Stem Cells #11
How Cells Become Specialized [Featuring Stem Cells]
Promises and Dangers of Stem Cell Therapies | Daniel Kota | TEDxBrookings
A Stem Cell Story
5.0 / 5 (0 votes)