A composite image from the COSMOS survey, showing normal matter in red, dark matter in blue, and stars and galaxies in gray. Credit: NASA, ESA and R. Massey (California Institute of Technology)

Astronomers have developed a new map of the universe -- one that includes the general position of a lot of material that they can't identify. The image, mapping the general location of the areas in the universe that have the highest density of dark matter, could give researchers new insights into the formation of the universe. But will it be able to help scientists figure out just what all that mysterious dark matter actually is? We'll talk with one of the authors of a study presented this week at the AAS conference.

We'll also hear about new work in the field of stem cells. Scientists reported this week in the journal Nature Biotechnology that a sample of amniotic fluid could be a good source of stem cells. Though the researchers don't believe the amniotic fluid stem cells will be quite as flexible as those derived from embryonic material, they hope that the new source of stem cells could one day lead to treatments for a variety of diseases. We'll talk about the advance, and whether it makes the debate over the ethics of embryonic stem cell research obsolete.

And with all this research going on -- where is the money coming from? This week Congress debated legislation that would overturn the limitations placed by President Bush on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research, allowing federal funds to be used for the work. But even as the new Congress debates increasing funds for some fields of research, other fields, including some physics projects, are still operating under a funding freeze put in place by last year's budget. We'll talk about the funding of science. Call in with your questions and comments at 1-800-989-8255 (2-3 Eastern). Teachers, find more information about using Science Friday as a classroom resource in the Kids' Connection.

>>Need a stem cell refresher? Check out this timeline.

Guests:
Bill Broad
Senior Writer
New York Times
New York, New York

Michael Lubell
Chair and Professor, Department of Physics
City College of the City University of New York
Director of Public Affairs
American Physical Society
Washington, DC

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Richard Massey
Post-Doctoral Researcher, Astronomy
California Institute of Technology
Pasadena, California

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Anthony Atala, M.D.
Professor and Chair, Department of Urology
Director, Institute for Regenerative Medicine
Wake Forest University School of Medicine
Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Books/Articles Discussed:

Massey R., et al. Nature, advance online publication, doi:10.1038/nature05497 (2007).

"Isolation of amniotic stem cell lines with potential for therapy." Nature Biotechnology - 25, 100 - 106 (2007)

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This segment produced by Karin Vergoth