There was an
exciting scientific discovery very recently: mature cells, when immersed in a
dilute citric acid solution for half an hour, regress to the state of stem cells
which can subsequently be cajoled into turning into specialised cells, such as
a nerve cell or a liver cell. These ‘induced pluri-potent stem cells’ (iPSCs,
or just iPCs) are not new in themselves, having been around for a few years,
but we used to have to make them by manipulating their genetic make-up.
There’s no
huge surprises here really. All cells in your body contain the same DNA, so all
carry the genetic information needed to become any of the specialised cells.
When you’re still a tiny ball of cells 10 days after fertilisation, you’re made
of stem cells that are all alike but that start to differentiate into the
various specialised types of cells a bit later.
