The hot topic these past few weeks has embryonic stem cell research, and until I did some investigating, I was lost on the issue. Here's what I found.
Stem cells are cells that are able to reproduce indefinitely.
For instance, you and I have red blood stem cells, and although there are only a few of these in our body, they allow our body to keep replenishing its supply of red blood cells. That's why when we cut ourselves, we can survive and return to normal. Today, scientists can do research on these cells from adults or children, but the disadvantage is that once a stem cell has developed a certain trait, like red blood or skin or liver, then that cell is limited to that specialty. All the hype is over embryonic stem cells or cells from an embryo, about two weeks after conception. Inside the embryo, there are stem cells which have the ability to be used for all types of cells.