Lauren Slater 2

STEM CELLS Stem cells are cells that have the potential to develop into many different cell types in the body and in many tissues they serve as a repair system, dividing without limit to replenish other cells as long as the organism is still alive. When a stem cell divides, each new one either remains a stem cell or becomes another type of cell with a specialized function, such as a muscle cell, a red blood cell, or a brain cell. The 3 main areas in stem cell research are adult, embryonic, and reprogrammed cells known as iPS stem cells. iPS, which stands for induced pluripotent stem cells, are reprogrammed adult skin cells changed to behave like embryonic stem cells so that scientists can bypass using embryos altogether. Embryonic stem cells are taken from a growing embryo at the blastocyst stage, killing the developing human life. Adult stem cells, on the other hand, are found in all tissues of a growing human being and, also have the potential to change themselves into practically all other cell types. Stem cells are important because they have regenerative abilities, which could help treat diseases such as diabetes and heart disease, or could replace damaged or destroyed tissues.