Robert Lanza (1956- )

During the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, Robert Paul Lanza studied embryonic stem cells [5], tissues, and endangered species as chief scientific officer of Advanced Cell Technology, Incorporated in Worcester, Massachusetts. Lanza's team cloned the endangered species of gaur Bos gaurus [6]. Although the gaur did not survive long, Lanza successfully cloned another cow [7]-like creature, called the banteng (Bos javanicus [8]). Lanza also worked on cloning [9] human embryos to harvest stem cells [10], which could be used to treat dieases. While previous techniques required the embryo's destruction, Lanza developed a harvesting technique that does not destroy the embryo, forestalling many ethical objections to human embryonic research.