Death of a "Superman"

Early this morning, Christopher Reeve, the actor best known for his role in the Superman movies, passed away after having slipped into a coma the day before. Reeve, as you probably know, suffered a spinal cord injury in 1995 that left him paralyzed from the neck down. Since then, he faced challenges that most of us can't even begin to imagine.

It will be interesting to see whether and how Reeve's passing will affect the current debate over stem cell research. Many scientists believe that such research could lead to a cure for spinal injuries and other conditions that are currently untreatable.