Stem cells are cells that go through mitosis and separate into special cell types. Stem cells have the ability to renew themselves, producing more stem cells. Stem cells are capable of carrying out a specific task, such as regenerating and replacing damaged or diseased tissue. There are billions of cells, all with their own music. As the brain develops, it turns out that they are quite harmonious: a keyboard orchestra (Zerhouni, 2). The two broad types of cells are embryonic stem cells and adult stem cells. Embryonic stem cells are kind of an “all purpose” type. They can specialize and become any type of body cell. Adult stem cells are tissue-specific and can only work with certain types of cells in the body. Science and technology are constantly developing. Every year new discoveries are made that have a profound effect on society. There are thousands of people dying from preventable diseases. Over the decade, scientists have speculated that stem cell research could allow us to actually cure harmful diseases like breast cancer and arthritis. The great discovery of 1998, when scientists discovered they had isolated embryonic stem cells, was the discovery that promised to cure many diseases. However, there are many ethical and religious controversies that have limited further discoveries of stem cell research. There are so many techniques that can be used to treat, cure or prevent certain diseases. One of the techniques used in stem cell research uses embryonic stem cells. For embryonic stem cell research the technique used involves entering a several-day-old embryo called a blastocyst, extracting the internal cell mass to reach the stem cells. This process destroys…half the paper…everything described above is common and a normal part of disease prevention. I think stem cell research is a beneficial way that can lead the biomedical world to new discoveries and could cure and prevent diseases and other conditions. Works Cited Zerhouni, Elisa. “Stem cell research: unlocking the mystery of disease.” NIH Medline PlusJuly-August. 2007: 1-3. Galileo. Network. July 18, 2011. Goidel, Kirby and Matthew Nisbet. “Exploring the Roots of Public Participation in the Embryonic Stem Cell Research and Cloning Controversy.” Political Behavior28.2 (2006): 175-92. Print."Stem cell research." Search!America. Network. July 18, 2011. “Stem Cells and Disease [Stem Cell Information].” NIH stem cell information home page. Network. 18 July 2011. .