B1: STEM CELLS

Question 1

What is a stem cell?

Answer 1

a cell that can differentiate into other cells

Question 2

What are the 3 types of stem cells and where are they found?

Answer 2

-adult stem cells (found in bone marrow)
-embryonic stem cells (found in embryos)
-plant stem cells (found in meristem tissue)

Question 3

What are the uses of adult (and embryonic) stem cells?

Answer 3

curing diseases
for example:
-replacing faulty blood cells
-insulin producing cells for people with diabetes
-nerve cells for people paralysed by spinal injuries

Question 4

What are some benefits of using adult and embryonic stem cells?

Answer 4

-can cure diseases
-embryonic stem cells can be made to have the same genetic information as the patient so it wouldn’t be rejected by the patient’s body (therapeutic cloning)

Question 5

Why are people against the use of (embryonic) stem cells?

Answer 5

-stem cells grown in lab can become contaminated with a virus which could be passed on to the patient
-people feel that using embryos for experiments is wrong since each one is a potential human life

Question 6

What are the uses of plant stem cells?

Answer 6

-produce clones of plants quickly and cheaply
-can be used to grow more plants of a rare species
-can be used to grow crops of identical plants that have desired features for farmers (eg disease resistance)