Stem cells: Not paying off; too early to tell

Steven Milloy who publishes JunkScience.com, CSRWatch.com writes an opinion piece that stem cell research has yet to produce results but it has produced bogus claims, fraud, and bad science.

There’s little hard evidence of progress on which to pin any hope [on embroynic stem cell research]. Moreover, the lack of federal funding doesn’t in any way impede research progress as privately-funded and foreign researchers are free to conduct whatever research they please on embryonic stem cells.

That freedom, however, has produced no results. What good can come from federal funding of futility?

An interesting take but I think he goes too far. Sure, stem cell research is a hot topic that has more than its share of frauds, but still it holds hope for cures. Science doesn't move at break neck speeds, it's slow, painful, and goes in fits and starts. While we don't have cures yet, it's much too early to stop work, or federal funding.