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Korean Job Discussion Forums
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gdimension
Joined: 05 Jul 2005
Location: Jeju
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 Posted: Thu Oct 20, 2005 1:30 am Post subject: Chopsticks lead to Clones? |
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I'm undecided as to where I stand on the cloning debate...do I want potentially life-saving cures to be researched and brought to fruition through the cloning of stem cells? Hell yes, why not? Do I want cloned copies of people or animals walking around? Freaky.
There's no question that Korea is a hotbed of activity in this field, though, and this article from Slate gives some insight as to why...
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The Chopstick Theory of Scientific Supremacy goes like this: Koreans eat with narrow, metal chopsticks. Nabbing grains of rice with slippery, steel sticks requires a surgeon's dexterity. That's why Koreans have mastered extraordinarily precise "micromanipulation" of eggs and embryos required for stem-cell and cloning research. Westerners with their clunky forks—and even other Asians with their thick, grippy wooden chopsticks—can't hope to compete with the dexterous Koreans.
The Chopstick Theory is how Hwang Woo-suk, the world's greatest cloner, accounts for his nation's stem-cell success. The theory has undeniable appeal: It's exotic, it's funny, and it's even partly true. But it only begins to explain a peculiar anomaly of global science: how South Korea, a nation of only 48 million people and no history of biotech accomplishment, has emerged as the world capital of stem-cell and cloning research. |
Read the rest on your own.
(And, no, it's not because of the chopsticks.) |
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EFLtrainer
Joined: 04 May 2005
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| Posted: Thu Oct 20, 2005 3:07 am Post subject: |
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Actually, the manual dexterity point is valid. However, given that the brains have to be in place before the braun, the chopsticks thing is a very minor part of it all.
But, take ten ten Koreans and ten Americans of equal intelligence and tell them to practice poking a needle into an egg, which would do better initially? The Koreans, no doubt. It would be a short-lived advantage, however. Want to save a little money and time in training? Sure, hire the Koreans. Just make sure they're Koreans who can use chopsticks. Not all are good at it. There are sloppy eaters all over the world! |
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JacktheCat
Joined: 08 May 2004
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