October 2012

In this issue:
Nobel Prize given for early stem cell research
eBay auction highlights Einstein’s view of God
Genetics the focus for 2013 Goshen Conference

Nobel Prize given for early stem cell research

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded jointly to Sir John Gurdon and Shinya Yamanaka for the discovery that mature cells can be reprogrammed to become pluripotent or artificial stem cells.

The experiment that laid the groundwork for using adult cells to make artificial stem cells was completed 50 years ago, and began when Gurdon was a graduate student. In this classic experiment, he replaced the immature cell nucleus in an egg cell of a frog with the nucleus from a mature intestinal cell. This modified egg cell developed into a normal tadpole. The DNA of the mature cell still had all the information needed to develop all cells in the frog.

Gurdon said in a phone interview with the Nobel Prize Foundation that there was no expectation of immediate therapeutic benefits and it took nearly 10 years for the results to be accepted.

Meanwhile Shinya Yamanaka was born in 1962. His work built on Gurdon’s initial work. Yamanaka discovered more than 40 years later, in 2006, how intact mature cells in mice could be reprogrammed to become immature stem cells. Surprisingly, by introducing only a few genes, he could reprogram mature cells to become pluripotent stem cells, i.e. immature cells that are able to develop into all types of cells in the body.

eBay auction highlights Einstein’s view of God

Through October 18 online bidders will be lining up to lay claim to a unique piece of science history.

Albert Einstein’s so-called “God letter” was a private letter that was never meant to be shared publicly but has made its way to eBay this month. Written in German, the letter was sent from Princeton to Eric B. Gutkind in 1954, a year before Einstein passed away. It was in response to Gutkind’s book, Choose Life: The Biblical Call to Revolt.

In the letter, Einstein presented a skeptical view of God. He wrote: “The word God is for me nothing more than the expression and product of human weaknesses, the Bible a collection of honorable, but still primitive legends which are nevertheless pretty childish. No interpretation no matter how subtle can (for me) change this.” He added that the Jewish religion, like all other religions is “an incarnation of childish superstitions” and that there was nothing “chosen” about the Jewish people.

While his negative views of organized religion were well known, he was also said to have spoken of a spiritual force working in the universe.

Since its original purchase, the letter was in storage at an academic institution that specializes in the care of cultural heritage collections, according to the eBay website. The authenticity of the letter has never been questioned and it has been well known in the scientific community for more than 50 years. The sellers add that its value is enhanced by the original envelop, stamp and postmark. According to eBay, the auction was opened up with a bid of $3 million.

Gayle Woloschak will be the speaker for next year’s Goshen Conference on Religion and Science held at Goshen College in Goshen, Indiana.

The conference will be held from Friday, April 5 through Sunday, April 7, 2013. Woloschak is a professor of Radiation Oncology, Radiology and Cell and Molecular Biology, associate director of the Radiation Oncology Residency Program and associate director of the Centers of Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence in the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University. Her scientific interests are in the areas of molecular biology and nanotechnology. She has authored more than 150 scientific papers and has grants from the National Institutes of Health and the US Department of Energy.

This year she also received a degree from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, specializing in Eastern Christian Studies. She is the former interim director and is currently associate director of the Zygon Center for Religion and Science, director of the Epic of Creation course offered at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, and member of the editorial board of the Zygon Journal of Religion and Science. 

Covalence, October 2012