My Chinese translation of Science news:

干细胞：年轻的韩国学者如何协助揭露一个丑闻…
Sei Chong 和　Dennis Normile
《科学》，２００６年１月６日，２２页

首尔和东京－－２００５年１２月９日, 首尔大学（ＳＮＵ）的一个调查组的通告给全世界干细胞研究者以致命的一击：该调查组报告说，没有证据表明黄瑀锡及其研究组制造出任何一个其２００５年６月号《科学》杂志刊文中所描述的患者特异性的干细胞。很多韩国民众悲叹这次丑闻的揭露粉碎了韩国赢得世界科学尊重的希望。但是这次报道也强力支持了数十位匿名的韩国年轻科学家。他们在互相不相识的情况下，并肩协作并帮助媒体揭露了这次巨大的科学作伪案。

黄和其在几个美韩研究机构的协作者们发表于《科学》杂志上的两篇文章曾被誉为干细胞研究的创新性突破。一篇２００４年３月的文章报告了首例从人类克隆胚胎中培育的干细胞系。第二篇发在２００５年五月份。文章报告了能和９名脊髓损伤，糖尿病，及某免疫性疾病的病人在遗传上相匹配的１１株干细胞系。研究者们希望类似的干细胞能在今后帮助我们进一步认识很多遗传性疾病以及研制与病人遗传匹配的替代组织。

但是２００５年６月１日半夜刚过，这些希望开始破灭。有人给“ＰＤ手册” 节目的网络举报信箱发了封电子邮件。该节目是汉城文化放送公司（MBC）的一个长期的新闻调查节目。据该节目的一个编导金博雪（音译：Bo Seul Kim）说，投诉者表示他所知道的关于黄研究中存在的问题使其良知感到困惑。为了让“ＰＤ手册” 能和他联系，他用这句话来结束他的投诉信：“我希望你们不会拒绝这个获取真相的机会。”

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In the 2005 new year resolution, I decided to do something on my English. My original thought was to read one book and to write three long blog posts every week. It proved too much for me. Later the goal was adjusted to one book every two weeks, and two posts a week.

During the last year, I have finished about 30 books, some of which are really heavy ones. By the time I submit this post, I have written more than 100,000 words, in English. This is a breakthrough for me. Think about this, many people didn’t read so many words last year!

Compared with the younger generation (I am not that old though, but I can see the gaps between me and young people), my English is miserable. But, hey, I am not a dumb, I can learn.

It is quite a shame that I began to make such a decision after I graduated from school. I have wasted past few years doing nothing significant, partly due to my laziness and procrastination, partly due to my language incompetence. I don’t know how to deal with my laziness and irresponsibility, but I am glad I have done something on my English skills. I wish I have done it ten years ago.

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Reading through Stephen King’s little book “On Writing,” I can feel his enthusiasm on his own writing. He has weaved his life, his work, and his way of writing together into an enlightening piece.

Stephen’s yearning for writing never stops since he showed his little story to his mom at the first grade. Even though he landed in a position as a laundry washer after graduating from college, he didn’t stop writing. He finally got paid when his first book “Carrie” was published. The snowball started to roll after that book, and keeps on rolling till now. Writing, after all, is what his life is about.

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A fascinating research lead by Keith Chen from Penn State U reported that a gene polymorphism, SLC24A5, may shed light on the origin of light skin in Europeans. Almost all Europeans have one version of allele different from that of almost all non-Europeans, which causes only one amino acid difference in a melanin related enzyme. About 25% to 30% of genetic variations of skin color between blacks and whites can be attributed to this alanine to theronine change.

Some neo-racists hailed to this discovery, claiming that biological differences between blacks and whites do exist, and race has a deep root in biology. Most biologists, however, cautiously reminded that skin color is not race, and the fact that one small change of gene causes such a big difference in skin color between blacks and whites proves that there are so few differences between them.

So what do the findings from this skin color gene mean?

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