Stem cells

Question 1

what are stem cells?

Answer 1

stem cells are undifferentiated cells of an organism which can differentiate into any type of cell

Question 2

where can we get stem cells from?

Answer 2

in the embryo (embryonic stem cells)
from an adults bone marrow
meristem in plants

Question 3

why could embryonic stem cells be considered better than adult bone marrow stem cells?

Answer 3

embryonic stem cells can differentiate into any type of cell whereas adult bone marrow cells can only differentiate into blood cells
also many embryonic stem cells can be created in a lab and can be extracted from these embryos but when adult stem cells are extracted its a very painful procedure for the patient
embryonic stem cells can be used to treat many diseases whereas adult stem cells can only be used to treat a few
also theres a risk that adult bone marrow stem cells can be rejected by the recipients body

Question 4

why could embryonic stem cells be considered worse than adult bone marrow stem cells?

Answer 4

they can be expensive to grow in a lab
embryonic stem cells can cause ethical issues as the embryo as they are destroyed and had the potential to become a baby whereas adult bone marrow cells have no ethical issues as the adult has consent

Question 5

what are some overall negatives of stem cells?

Answer 5

can be ethical issues
can become contaminated if grown in a lab

Question 6

what can meristem stem cells be used for?

Answer 6

-cloning plants quickly and cheaply
-growing rare species of plants
-growing identical plants with the desired characteristics

Question 7

how can stem cells be used to treat paralysis and diabetes?

Answer 7

paralysis- differentiate into nerve cells
diabetes- differentiate into insulin making cells

Question 8

what is therapeutic cloning?

Answer 8

when an embryo is made to have the same genetic information as the patient so the stem cells produced would also and they couldn’t be rejected by the body