Life Science log

A federal ruling temporarily blocks expanded funding for embryonic stem cell research. Scientists studying embryonic stem cells will soon feel the funding noose tightening once again, thanks to a new ruling that temporarily blocks an executive order to expand access to federal funds. President Obama's order, made last year, reversed restrictions put in place in 2001 by President Bush, which limited federal funding of embryonic stem cell research to stem cell lines that had already been created. These restrictions were seen as a huge hindrance to the pace of research, forcing scientists who wanted to do cutting edge experiments to seek private funding. Many scientists chose to avoid the field altogether, and those who pursued it often had to create new labs that mirrored existing ones in order to carry out the privately funded research.