Quote:
Originally posted by taxwonk
In stem cell research (and other extremely long-tail research projects) the potential return is too far into the future to justify the expenditure on normal risk-reward metrices. This is a functional equivalent of defense research, where thed market is too attenuated to be accounted for.
There's actually a greater case for stem cell funding at this stge than there is for orphan drugs, because the potential market is zero and will be for decades. At this point, we don't even know that embryonic stem cells can be trained to develop in the needed way. Once that has been determined, the health care industry is still looking at extensive development to get to the testing stage.
The reason to fund stem cell research is that it has the potential to one day cure diseases which are not currently curable, and to reverse conditions which are not currently reversible. The possibility is simply too great not to fund.
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2. And you are part of the fourth column if you disagree because you want Americans to stay weak and diseased so the Chinese can take us over.
