Stem Cells

Stem cells are the body's master cells, the [raw:rare] material from which we are built. Unlike normal body cells, they can reproduce an indefinite number of times and, when manipulated in the right way, can turn themselves into any [type:sort] of cell in the body. The most versatile stem cells are those found in the embryo at just a few days old. This ball of a few dozen stem cells eventually goes on to form everything that makes up a [person:human] . In 1998, James Thompson [announced:revealed] that he had isolated human embryonic stem cells in the laboratory. At last, these powerful cells were within the [grasp:grip] of scientists to experiment with, understand, and develop into fixes for the things that go wrong.