In 2004, Korean researcher Woo Suk Hwang set the scientific world on fire when he reported that his team had created the world's first cloned human embryonic stem cells. But just a year later it was revealed that Hwang had fabricated his findings, damaging both Korea's research reputation and the stem cell research field.
But according to a new study, Hwang's team did make an impressive breakthrough, though it appears that he was unaware of his accomplishment. "Hwang's stem cell line contains the first human cells to be generated not through SCNT [somatic cell nuclear transfer], but through a process called parthenogenesis, sometimes referred to as virgin birth," explains Time. It's unclear why Hwang didn't highlight these findings, for they offer a major step forward for stem cell research. According to Dr. Renee Reijo Pera, a stem cell researcher at Stanford University, Hwang's team "could have reported these legitimate results and been scientific heroes."
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