Stem Cell Research

Today in Chemistry it was really interesting. My teacher went on a side note and talked a lot about Embryonic Stem Cell research and Adult Stem Cell research. She explained on a scientist's point a view, that this sort of topic should be left up to the scientists, and not controlled by the politics. These researches will in hopes find cures to troubles such as cancer, or repair someone who is unable to walk by replacing those specific cells. Obama basically did just that in his latest announcement of this topic. She also got into great detail on the main difference between the researches; both embryonic and people. To make a long description short in embryos, the cells are in the state where they decide what they want to be. ( I forget what the actual scientific term is :/ ) For example, one group of cells in a certain area may somehow communicate to another group saying," I'm going to be the heart, " or "I'm going to be the skin." They haven't determined what they are going  to be though. 

In a person, if they take cells, they have to convert these cells back into the state the the embryo cells are in. This is because the cells where ever they are taking from already have determined what they are. ( Such as a skin cell )

 A lot of people are against the embryonic research because there is much controversy if it is actually counted as a life or not. But, my teacher today shared something with us that many people don't realize. The embryos that the scientists used are actually the ones that are unused. They are the ones that they have preserved in places that basically "expire" over time and under Bush's plan, were thrown away.

Now under Obama's plan, scientists are able to research freely in hopes of finding undiscovered cures.