Stem cells are really important for how our bodies grow and develop. They are like the building blocks of our body.

These special cells have two main abilities:

1. They can make more of themselves (self-renew).
2. They can turn into different types of cells (differentiate).

Types of Stem Cells:

1. Embryonic Stem Cells: These can become many different types of cells, more than 200 in total.

2. Adult Stem Cells: These are found in certain parts of our body. For example, hematopoietic stem cells in our bone marrow can turn into different kinds of blood cells.

Role in Development:

• Stem cells help create tissues when an embryo is developing:
  • By the third week of development in humans, there are about 3 to 5 million stem cells in the embryo.
  • These stem cells help form three layers called germ layers: ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm. From these layers, all of our organs will develop.

Growth and Repair:

• In adults, stem cells are important for keeping our tissues healthy and repairing them:
  • For example, our body makes about 2.5 million red blood cells every second using stem cells from the bone marrow.

Learning about stem cells is really important for new treatments and medical care. They have the potential to help us heal and regenerate different parts of our bodies.