Bush Squeezes Between the Lines on Stem Cells

President George W. Bush told a national TV audience on 9 August that he would allow the federal government to fund work on embryonic stem (ES) cells. But Bush9s compromise has sparked a new round of scientific questions, including exactly how much research the new policy will permit. Although the president9s decision may temporarily halt a political push for more research opportunities, his assertion that some 60 ES cell lines would be available for research is more than twice the number most scientists would cite.