Henrietta Lacks’ “immortal” cancer cells led to the creation of life-saving drugs. Yet, controversy surrounds the cells because Lacks never knew about their removal and use. Rebecca Skloot’s award-winning book The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks tells Lacks’ story and examines the important issues it raised about ethics, race, and class.
Brain Bytes showcase essential facts about neuroscience.
Design by Adrienne Tong.
Photo: Courtesy of the Lacks family.
About the Author
Calli McMurray is the Media & Science Writing Associate at SfN. She graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 2019 with a Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience.
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BrainFacts/SfN
References
Etheredge, L. (2019, September 30). Henrietta Lacks. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/biography/Henrietta-Lacks
Henrietta Lacks. (2019, July 26). Retrieved from https://www.biography.com/scientist/henrietta-lacks
