Welcome to Cloning and Stem Cells!

Thanks to the OLLI program for providing the motivation for me to learn about stem cells. In my laboratory some decades ago I worked on the mechanisms that make cells different from one another, but I knew little of stem cells until I was asked to present this seminar.

What's so fascinating about this topic, besides the basic science, are the ethical issues that it raises. Questions such as "When does life begin?", "Should we clone humans?", and "Should we resurrect extinct animals?" will, no doubt, stimulate some lively discussions!

What also makes stem cells interesting is their enormous potential to cure disease, repair (and replace) degenerating organs, and extend life span. I expect that we'll see some fantastic advances in the next decades.