Why Are Stem Cells So Hot?

By Angsuman Chakraborty, Gaea News Network
Wednesday, January 9, 2008

Of the 20,000 to 30,000 genes now thought to be in the human genome, most cells express only a very small part - which makes sense, a liver cell has little need for the DNA code that makes neurons.

But as almost all cells carry around a full copy (’distribution’) of the genome, a system is needed to #ifdef out stuff not needed. And that is just how it works. The genetic code is full of #if/#endif statements.

This is why ’stem cells’ are so hot right now - these cells have the ability to differentiate into everything. The code hasn’t been #ifdeffed out yet, so to speak.

Read more here to understand DNA through the eyes of a programmer.

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