cadavers, embryos...what?
2007-11-16 20:02:56 · 8 answers · asked by Montesa 3 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
stem cells from what?
2007-11-16 20:07:23 · update #1
The stem cells can come from a bunch of places.
As noted, the stem cells can come from embryos. Human embryos are the most controversial, but there's a lot of work being done on mouse embryonic stem cells, too.
Stem cells can also be harvested from tissues (see research highlights link).
Stem cells can also be maintained as "immortalized cell lines". Normally human cells can only divide so many times (look up the "Hayflick limit' if you're interested) Basically these are cells transformed so that they can replicate forever. These cells don't function normally so they're just research tools, but they can be maintained indefinitely and useful for some research and technical applications.
2007-11-16 20:18:56 · answer #1 · answered by Pfistulated Cow 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I'm not being mean but you may get better and more accurate answers if you place this under science as the regs there are very good.
A stem cell can potentially become any cell in the body such as a heart muscle cell or a brain cell. It's a cell that doesn't have a "pattern of growth" yet and there are plenty of them in the umbilical cord of newborn babies.
Cadavers aren't a good supply of stem cells. The few areas of stem cells that all of us have as adults die when we die.
Fetal and embryonic stem cells are considered about the best by most in the scientific community with umbilical stem cells being a good second best.
2007-11-16 20:12:29 · answer #2 · answered by thefinalresult 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
They examine the base cells that make up the heart, spine, brain, liver, etc.
The cells can be found in the umbilical cord, the placenta, or an embryo (it gets into ethical problems when an embryo is used, because it kills the embryo in the process, the other two forms have no death involved)
Stem cells are the first of the cells that would divide into a new organ: heart, stomach, etc. The goal of researching these cells is try and find a way to grow 'blank' organs that can be used for replacement organs in people who need them, and to provide fresh living tissue that can be studied without harming someone to further medical advancements in the hopes of finding cures for many diseases and afflictions.
I support the research myself.
2007-11-16 20:09:31 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Stem cells of animals and embryonic stem cells. If you want to use gvt funds to do the research then you must stick to a very specific line of stem cells approved for use.
People totally misconstrue this debate. People arent against stem cell research. They are against creating embryos, or human life, for the sole purpose of killing it for its stem cells, or making mothers that get abortions feel some sort of satisfaction by using aborted babies stem cells. I do not want humans to start creating clones and creating human life just to do research on it.
What I have absolutely no problem with, however, is using naturally miscarried babies stem cells for research. This would be no different then being an organ donor or having your body donated to science after you die. People have miscarriages naturally all the time. There is plenty of stem cells that can be gathered thru this natural process.
It is scary to me that the idea of creating human life just to do research on it doesnt bother more people.
Didnt anyone see The Island? (great movie and Ewan McGregor was soooo dang hot in it)
2007-11-16 20:09:50 · answer #4 · answered by cadisneygirl 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Stem cells are a kind of cells that are undifferentiated. When the cells in our bodies develop, they differentiate, meaning that they become different kinds of cells (e.g. blood cells, muscle cells, nerve cells, and so on.) Stem cells can become any of these kinds of cells. Therefore, scientists are trying to figure out how to make stem cells differentiate and become different kinds of cells. This therapy has great promise for treating illnesses like diabetes and Parkinson's disease, for example.
The reason that many people have problems with stem cell research is that some of the groups of stem cells on which scientists work have come from aborted fetuses. Many people who think abortion is wrong think that it's inappropriate to use stem cells which are the product of abortion for research. It could be seen that this would be giving permission for people to have abortions, or that it is supporting abortion in some way.
It should be noted that not all stem cells come from aborted fetuses.
EDIT: I forgot that embryos are also possible.
2007-11-16 20:08:51 · answer #5 · answered by drshorty 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Stem cells from adults and stem cells from embryos (or to be more specific, clusters of 150 embryonic blastocyst cells that have had their development halted).
2007-11-16 20:08:16 · answer #6 · answered by ZER0 C00L ••AM••VT•• 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Stem cells.
2007-11-16 20:06:14 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
embryos
2007-11-16 20:07:56 · answer #8 · answered by ~::JAEL::~ 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋