“In the Middle Ages, the alchemists believed someday they’d find a magical tool that could transmute lead into gold, metals into medicines and plants and animal tissues into powerful elixirs — a panacea that would cure all diseases and prolong life indefinitely. This week, it appears that the object of their long-ago yearnings has been discovered. Scientists announced they have reprogrammed the genes of ordinary cells from human skin to make what I’m terming ‘panacea’ cells. These cells can be used to create embryonic-like stem cells that one day could fix many different disorders and diseases that are now beyond cure.” (11/20/07)