Scientists Reportedly Discover "Ultimate" Stem Cell in Adults
Slashdot pointed out an article in New Scientist that reports that scientists believe they have discovered an "ultimate" stem cell in adult that can turn into any cell in the body. According to the article:
Until now, only stem cells from early embryos were thought to have such properties.... If so, there would be no need to resort to therapeutic cloning - cloning people to get matching stem cells from the resulting embryos. Nor would you have to genetically engineer embryonic stem cells (ESCs) to create a "one cell fits all" line that does not trigger immune rejection.
This would be the answer to the prayers of many Americans who have profound reservations about the notion of creating embryos for the purpose of dismembering them for components. We can only hope that these initial research results are confirmed.