Stem Cells
Stem Cell research can be a sensitive topic that can be seen in two ways. It can lead to arguments and large discussions about whether or not to leave stem cells be or to continue in the search for a new medicine. Some say that stem cell research is a great, efficient, and much needed way to cure a lot of common severe diseases, but others think that it is cruel and in some ways inhumane. Personally, I believe that stem cell research is the perfect way for us, as a country, to advance medically with its never-ending potential of disease treatment.
The concept of what a stem cell is capable of producing seems enough to make some people want to begin research themselves! With a medical advancement like this scientists will unlock a door to a brand new, much anticipated region in health studies. There are two basic types of these stem cells; Embryonic and Adult. The adult stem cells are a more limited type of cell because they can only regenerate the specific tissue or organ that they are found in whereas an embryonic stem cell can be altered into any type of cell in the body. Also, the embryonic cells can be grown much easier in a cell culture than the adult stem cells. What occurs during the research of embryonic stem cells is that scientists must first obtain a blastocyst, which is an embryo taken before it has formed into an embryo. Inside this blastocyst there are lots of tiny stem cells (Stem Cell Information). Scientists take these cells and put them into a pitri dish to closer examine. What they seem to be stuck on is finding a way to make these cells divide frequently without our help. If they could divide by themselves, it would be possible for more regeneration in humans. For adult stem cells, they will mark the cells in a living tissue with a molecular marker, and from there they proceed to remove the cells from the organism (mostly small animals at this point in research) (Stem Cell Network). Then they are placed into a cell culture and...