What are stem cells?

Stem cells are the cornerstones of everything within the human body. They are unspecialized cells that have the ability to self regenerate and differentiate themselves. So, in other words, they are blank cells that have yet to develop and have no specialized functioning. Only when certain conditions are presented (in the body or lab) will they start to generate into tissue and organs. Stem cells can be broken down further into two types: adult and embryonic stem cells.

In the late 1990’s, the first human embryonic stem cell was cultured in a lab. This area of research and investigation has become the center of passionate social, religious, and political debate.