They are among the earliest cells the body creates, and they are the cells from which all the 200 or so different types of cells in a fully developed human originate.

FORBES: Four Standard-Bearers For Stem Cell Therapies

But Sir John showed the wisdom of Dr Brenner's choice when he discovered that (sex cells aside) adult worms all have 959 cells in them, and that the pattern of cell differentiation which leads from egg to adult is the same in every individual.

ECONOMIST: This year, the Nobel authorities have shown a deft touch

The researchers were able to extract cells from some of their blastocysts, and grow tissues containing all three cell types.

ECONOMIST: An embryonic development

Even with the ability to convert sunlight into electricity with high efficiency using photovoltaic solar cells, many challenges prevent us from being able to power all our energy needs with solar panels.

WHITEHOUSE: Engage and Connect

Patients who retain even a minor amount of natural insulin production are far less likely to go blind or fall into a coma from insulin overdosage than those who lose all their islet cells.

FORBES: Delaying Diabetes

The other thing it does is it makes it extremely easy now to tailor a stem cell to an individual because all I have to do is get a few skin cells from you and then put in these magic factors, and suddenly I've got an embryonic stem cell line that's tailor made directly to you.

NPR: Scientists Create Embryonic Stem Cells from Skin

Langer envisions a time in the future when tissue banks are full of hearts, lungs, livers and pancreases, all grown on polymer scaffolds from stem, donor or host cells.

FORBES: Innovators