hey big brains can ne one explain me what is stem cell and stem cell surgery--in easy language?
968705
I belive that Stem Cell research is basically the modification of deoxyribosnucleic acid.  By modifiying this gene sequence, you can cure disease, build strength, enhance brain power, or just about anything.  Then I'm assuming that stem cell surgery is where the gene is actually modified, I don't believe that this has happened yet as Congress is adamently against it.
310138
http://sun.menloschool.org/~cweaver/cells/
733052
Kind of like asking if "Brain Surgery" is simply how to access the brain through a hole in the skull.\n\n"Rocket Science" involves extremely difficult and laborious mathematical calculations - and knowledge in numerous fields of physics, metallurgy, aerodynamics, jet propulsion and other facets of science - hence, the saying, "It ain't rocket science, ya know!"
809963
Here is a good website to get you started http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stem_cell_research and there are some good links there as well.  \n\nGood Luck!!!
183338
Progenitor cells have the choice of becoming a neuron, and in some cases what kind of neuron.  A stem cell is generally a cell which can become any other cell-it may be found in the brain, but may have the option of becoming either a neuron or a glial cell.  In other words, progenitor cells are considered already partially on the road to specialization, while stem cells have a greater degree of freedom.
835435
stem cells are cells that haven't differentiated into specific types (like liver cells, lung cells, or skin cells). they are very useful for scientists becuase they haven't differentiated and can be turned into whatever cells are necessary. try google to find more about them but try to stay away from anything political.
246421
cloning\nstem cells\ngenetic manipulation
755812
there are 2 types of stem cell used.  one is NOT from embro's and has cured about 100 diseases so far(republican).  the other is from unborn embro's and has cured ZERO diseases(democrat).  Think the chioce is that simple, it is.
994000
Try this:\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cell_(biology)\n\nhttp://health-pictures.com/images/Human-cell.jpg
147249
Stem cell research can lead to discoveries of cures for diseases.  Transplants save people with bad organs from dying.
757631
Stem cells are cell in the humane body that have not yet been defined. meaning they have not developed to the point of of becoming an organized mass called tissue such as muscle tissue  or skin tissue or nerve tissue. This is important because researchers are investigating ways to coax stem cells into developing  into specific types of tissue  within the body  to aid in the cure of injuries and disease. For example if someones spinal cord was cut and you could get stem cells to develop into spinal cord tissue to repair the damage . this has actually been demonstrated in mice. now this is somewhat of an oversimplification but you get the idea.\n\nNow as stated by previous answers there are 2 types of stem cells Adult and Embryonic. The controversy is over the use of Embryonic stem cells. there are several ethical debates that arise from embryonic stem cells..\n1.Obviously by their nature they are derived from embryos or fertilized eggs. Now those believing that life begins at inception (such as myself) think that is destruction of viable life and object on these grounds.. Others say there are thousands of embryos created for in-vitro fertilization and many go unused and likely will never be implanted so why not get some good from them. To better illustrate my position let me paint a slightly different picture. Let say one person had a unique  immune system that created antibodies that would attack and destroy all types of cancer.. Obviously these cells would be useful to curing those afflicted. Now would it be ethical to pass a law requiring that individual to donate blood and tissue against his will so that thousands could be cured. Worse yet would it be ethical to require that individual to submit cells for cloning  so even more could be cured. this brings us to the second Issue\n2. The second way to to get embryonic stem cells is by cloning and harvesting the stem cells before the embryo develops into  a fetus. The moral and ethical implications here are obvious. you might call this the production line approach and the very idea is intolerable to many people.\n3. Lastly, Once use of embryonic stem cell is deemed acceptable would it be legal to sell ones eggs much like people sell plasma today.Currently there is no prohibition on the practice  and it would likely be used. Realizing that the female body produces a finite supply of eggs determined at birth the use of financial incentives to induce women likely poor woman to donate raises it's own ethical questions \n\nCurrently federal funding for embryonic stem cell research on new embryo's is banned. the government has made an exception for a few strains of cells that were developed prior to the funding ban. This ban is not on research but on federal funding the private sector as well as state funding wholly with state dollars is still legal\nAs far as Adult stem cell research goes there are no restrictions I know of\nSo there you have the debate in a nutshell as for yourself you have to decide on your own ethics. I have tried to give as unbiased a coverage as I can detailing the pertinent facts.
789448
When getting from a baby, they're in the Umbilical Cord:\n\nEmbryonic stem cells (ES cells) are stem cells derived from the inner cell mass of a blastocyst. A blastocyst is an early stage embryo - approximately 4 to 5 days old in humans and consisting of 50-150 cells. ES cells are pluripotent, and give rise during development all derivatives of the three primary germ layers: ectoderm, endoderm and mesoderm. In other words, they can develop into each of the more than 200 cell types of the adult body when given sufficient and necessary stimulation for a specific cell type.\n\n:::::\nIn adults, stem cells are found either in blood or bone marrow:\n\nAdult stem cells are undifferentiated cells found throughout the body that divide to replenish dying cells and regenerate damaged tissues. Also known as somatic stem cells, they can be found in children, as well as adults. A great deal of adult stem cell research has focused on clarifying their capacity to divide or self-renew indefinitely and their differentiation potential. Many adult stem cells may be better classified as progenitor cells, due to their limited capacity for cellular differentiation.\nNevertheless, specific multipotent or even unipotent adult progenitors may have potential utility in regenerative medicine. The use of adult stem cells in research and therapy is not as controversial as embryonic stem cells, because the production of adult stem cells does not require the destruction of an embryo. In contrast with the embryonic stem cell research, more US government funding has been provided for adult stem cell research. Adult stem cells can be isolated from a tissue sample obtained from an adult. They have mainly been studied in humans and model organisms such as mice and rats.
581002
Cell replacement is accomplished by cell division, which makes more cells to replace cells that have been damaged by wear and tear or senescence (cells growing old and failing to function).\n\nIn some cases, a single cell of a certain type can divide to give rise to two daughter cells of the same type. This process allows one cell to replace cells of its own type. For example, a liver cell can divide to generate two liver cells. Another example is endothelial cells, which line the inside of our blood vessels; a single endothelial cell will duplicate itself by dividing into two cells.\n\nIn another case, a special kind of cell, called a stem cell, is used for cell replacement. These cells also divide into two daughter cells. Some of these daughter cells become stem cells that resemble the mother cell. Other daughter cells become the cell type that needs to be replaced. For instance, our skin contains stem cells called basal cells. These basal cells divide into daughter cells. Some of the daughter cells become basal cells that retain the ability to divide, and other daughter cells become specialized into skin cells. That way, some of the cells are used for cell replacement, while other cells retain the ability to divide in the future so that we don't run out of skin cells.\n\nIn still another case, a single cell called a pluripotent stem cell can divide to generate—and thus replace—lots of different cell types. For example, our bone marrow contains cells called hemopoietic stem cells that can divide to generate the whole range of blood cells. A single hemopoietic stem cell can divide several times to generate red blood cells as well as different kinds of white blood cells.\n\nThe rates at which cells are replaced vary quite a bit. For example, in the inner lining of the small intestine, cells turn over in a week or less. In the pancreas, the turnover time may be as long as a year or more.\n\nSometimes the rate of cell division to replace cells depends on the state or size of the tissue. Liver cells rarely divide, but if there is injury to the liver and the liver is somehow reduced, liver cells will divide to get the liver back to the right size. Similarly, in the skin, the basal cells will divide only to keep the skin at a certain thickness. If the outer layers of dead skin peel away more frequently, the basal cells on the inside will divide more frequently to make up for the lost skin. If a person takes good care of his or her skin and there is little damage and fewer cells to replace, the basal cells will reduce the frequency of division.
933757
No, there are different types.  \n\nFor example, there are adult and embryonic stem cells.\n\nAdult stem cells can be extracted from your bone marrow.  There has been more success with them when used in your own body since there is a lowered risk of rejection.
169320
I think he was talking about technologies where they can grow human parts on rats and such using stem cells...like grow ears and human skin on host animals that can be harvested for transplants and such.  Not sure how this is too different from doing transplants with pig hearts and such....
67593
Stem cells are remarkable in that they can develop into all sorts of other specialised cells.\nOnce a cell is specialised it cannot change.\nStem cells therefore have the potential to replace cells that have been damaged by disease or injury.\n\nLook here:
412213
Stem cells originate from embryos which are a few days old. There are very strict guidelines regarding the harvest of stem cells, and they cannot be harvested from human beings beyond the embryo stage. They certainly do not come from the human brain.