Unit Biology 2: Section 12.8

to make informed judgements about the social and ethical issues concerning the use of stem cells from embryos in medical research and treatments

• Most types of animal cells differentiate at an early stage whereas many plant cells retain the ability to differentiate throughout life. In mature animals, cell division is mainly restricted to repair and replacement. Cells from human embryos and adult bone marrow, called stem cells, can be made to differentiate into many different types of cells e.g. nerve cells. Treatment with these cells may help conditions such as paralysis.