SOME GOOD SCIENCE NEWS

Pres. Obama lifted the restrictions former Pres. Bush had placed on embryonic stem cell research but a Federal District judge ruled that the new NIH guidelines were illegal.  I didn't know that while this was on appeal, the new rules remained in effect.  I'm sure the Fundies will be upset.

Court backs federal embryonic stem cells funds
By Jeremy Pelofsky

WASHINGTON | Fri Apr 29, 2011 2:53pm EDT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An appeals court ruled on Friday the Obama administration can continue using federal money to fund human embryonic stem cell research, a possible avenue toward new treatments for many medical conditions.

The appeals court overturned a ruling by a federal judge who found that the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) guidelines on such research violated the law because embryos were destroyed and it put other researchers working with adult stem cells at a disadvantage to win federal grants.

A panel of three judges of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, all appointed by Republican presidents, voted 2-1 to vacate Lamberth's injunction, saying the challengers were unlikely to win on the merits.