Redmond Barry Lecture 2002

Stemming the Tide: Clones, Stem Cells and the Future of Medicine.

Acclaimed international science writer and commentator Margaret Wertheim delivered the 2002 Redmond Barry Lecture on Tuesday 9 July. She examined the science, ethics and economics of stem-cell therapy. Rarely has any medical technology generated so much hope as stem-cell therapy, hailed as the key to curing illnesses from diabetes to Parkinson’s Disease. At the same time, few technologies have inspired so much opposition, since stem cells are found naturally only in early embryos.

Read the lecture transcript >

 Listen to the introduction Real Audio 6 min
 Listen to the lecture Real Audio 48.22 min

Real Audio Player software is required to listen to the audio files on this page.

Margaret Wertheim is a science writer whose work has appeared in many publications including New Scientist, the Guardian and the Los Angeles Times. She writes a monthly column on science and society for The Age, and is the author of Pythagoras’ Trousers and The Pearly Gates of Cyberspace. Margaret is a research associate to the American Museum of Natural History in New York and has recently founded the LA-based Institute for Figuring.