An undifferentiated cell capable of dividing to produce more stem cells or differentiating into specialized cell types. These cells are crucial for development, tissue repair, and blood cell production.
The term 'stem' was first used in botanical contexts in the 1800s, referring to the main supporting structure of a plant. Applied to cells in the 1960s, it metaphorically represents these cells as the 'trunk' from which all other cell types branch.
Stem cells are like cellular time travelers - they can either stay young forever by making copies of themselves, or they can 'age' by becoming specialized cells. Some stem cells in your body have been dividing since you were an embryo, maintaining their youth for decades!
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