DH+Stem+Cell+Homework

Stem Cell Article (1) When were stem cells first taken from a human embryo? - Stem cells were first taken from a human embryo in 1998 by Dr. Thomas' laboratory at the University of Wisconsin . (2) Why is obtaining stem cells from a human embryo so controversial? - Obtaining stem cells from a human embryo is so controversial because many of the stem cells that are harvested are from dead babies. A lot of these babies have been aborted and then used for the scientific purposes of stem cell research.

(3) What was/is the source of human embryos for stem cell research? - At first, the embryos came from monkeys. Then, they were cultured in egg shells.

(4) What is a stem cell? - A stem cell is an original cell from when a baby is first formed. These stem cells are located in the umbilical cord.

(5) What diseases do we think we could treat with stem cells? - We think that we could treat Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, and others.

(6) Dr. Thomson is in the news again because he has turned ordinary skin cells into stem cells. How did he do this? - He did this by putting them into an egg, changing them back into stem cells.