h+ Magazine

OK. For the immature among us, who like to titter about the so-called private parts, I’ve got a few bits of stem cell news….

First of all, there’s this: “Scientists Reverse Human Adult Testes Cells Into Pluripotent Stem Cells”

The article goes on to inform that… “The cells bear a striking resemblance to embryonic stem cells – they can differentiate into each of the three main types of tissues of the body – but the researchers caution against viewing them as one and the same…”

The article also says: “Coaxing specialized, or differentiated, adult cells to regress back into a more malleable, embryonic-stem-cell-like state (a process called “induced pluripotency”) would also allow scientists to realize the therapeutic benefits of embryonic cells without the thorny ethical problems that plague cells derived from embryos.” This could eliminate some of the problems with religious fanaticism, except perhaps among those who believe that every potential sperm is sacred.

Meanwhile, The Telegraph informs us that “Stem cell therapy ‘could offer women natural breast enhancement from stomach fat’.”

Meanwhile I’ve got $50 out for the first performance artist who sucks down a few stem cell or two on stage and calls the piece “Cannibal.”