Tiny, robotic fish powered by human heart cells suggest that scientists are getting closer to their goal of building replacement hearts from living tissue.
Researchers hope large numbers of very primitive, embryo-like structures will lead to new insights into early human development and ways to prevent miscarriages and birth defects.
A Japanese research team made immature human eggs from stem cells that were derived from human blood. The technique brings scientists a step closer to being able to mass-produce human eggs.
California alone has spent billions in state funds over the last 14 years to support stem cell research. Scientists want another round of cash. So, what exactly did voters get for their money so far?
The companies are "unscrupulous actors" marketing stem-cell treatments that have not been proved effective and may be dangerous, the FDA says. It took action against clinics in Florida and California.
This device shoots new genetic code into cells to make them change their purpose. Researchers say the chip could someday be used to treat injuries in humans. But they've got a long, long way to go.
In 2003, researchers declared a moratorium on the use of transplanted brain cells to treat Parkinson's disease. Now, armed with better cells, they're giving the approach another try.
Three patients were blinded after getting stem cells from fat at a Florida clinic. But a research study showed that induced pluripotent stem cells might someday help treat vision loss.
Researchers who study developing human embryos have long limited their experimentation to lab embryos that are no more than 14 days into development. Some scientists are now pushing that boundary.
Researchers who developed a collection of human stem cells with glowing internal structures have begun sharing them with colleagues. The glow reveals the secret workings of cells.
Clinics are using stem cells to treat problems ranging from arthritis and torn tendons to paralysis and stroke. But researchers say there's no evidence that the treatments work or are safe.
The National Institutes of Health proposed lifting its moratorium on funding for research on part-animal, part-human embryos — which raises a huge dilemma, says bioethicist Insoo Hyun.
The National Institutes of Health is proposing to fund experiments that create chimeras of human and animal cells while also imposing restrictions in response to ethical concerns.
Researchers experimenting with chimeric embryos say they could develop into adult pigs, sheep or cows with human organs that one day might be suitable for transplantation in people.
The National Institutes of Health has issued a moratorium on funding work that puts human stem cells into nonhuman embryos. The concern is that hybrids might develop human brain cells, sperm or eggs.
Scientists have tried for years to grow artificial kidneys in the lab. They've gotten a bit closer by using stem cells to create an "organoid" much like a fetal kidney. But it's missing key parts.
Critics say research on fetal tissue is no longer needed to answer crucial medical questions. But National Institutes of Health officials and other scientists say alternatives don't yet measure up.
After Chinese scientists announced in April that they had edited the genes in human embryos, many researchers said it shouldn't be done. Scientists in London say they want to do it for research only.
Near a field of deep sea vents between Norway and Greenland, scientists discovered the DNA of microbes that seem to be primitive archaea, but with a lot more genes — typical of complicated creatures.
