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The science behind stem cell research is quite complicated because it is such a newly developing field. As a result, the underlined words offer a link to their own definitions.
The process of acquiring stem cells begins following conception, when the sperm fertilizes the egg and a zygote is created. The embryo has just begun to take on the form of a clump of cells, otherwise known as the embryonic cell mass. These cells are totipotent at this point in development, which means that they have the ability to specialize into any somatic cell.
Following five to six days of maturation, these cells can be removed individually using microscopic tools. At this time, however, they are surrounded by a trophoblast, which would eventually become a placenta. The entire group of cells is now called a blastocyst. By this time the inner cell mass has become pluripotent, meaning they are now limited to becoming certain types of somatic cells.
In order for the withdrawn cell to be cultivated into whatever the desired colony of specialized cells would be, such as muscles cells, bone cells, nerve cells, and many other possibilities, scientists place the cell in an unnatural environment. The cells are cultured and grown in this enzyme rich environment contained in a Petri dish that both provides the cell with nutrients as well as instructs the cell to differentiate into the desired tissue layer. Such tissue layers, once fully grown, are used for transplantation for medical purposes.
In addition to beneficial health care, stem cell research can also provide insight into cell division and how enzymes influence cell specialization and growth. Unfortunately, if the process fails to produce healthy cells, then the cells specific to that experiment die. The germ line, however, remains in tact, because of the cell colonies that were created.
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