Contents
Key Stage 4
Meaning
A stem cell is a cell which can become other types of cells in an organism.
About Stem Cells
- Stem cells are undifferentiated cells which have not yet been specialised in an organism.
- Stem cells can be used to treat patients with damage to tissue which the body cannot normally repair. When added to the tissue stem cells can become the same type of specialised cells found in the tissue.
Stem Cells in Animals
- In animals stem cells are divided into two groups; juvenile stem cells which are found in embryos before the cells have begun to specialise and adult stem cells which are found in adults and can only specialise into certain cells such as blood cells.
About Stem Cells in Plants
- In plants stem cells are found in the shoot tips and root tips and are usually the only cells which can divide.
- In plants any cell can revert back to being a stem cell. This makes it easy to clone a plant.