Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Embryonic Stem Cells

Embryonic Stem Cells

Embryonic stem (ES) cells were first discovered in mice in 1981 by Martin Evans. In 1998, James Thomson identified a method to isolate embryonic stem cells from humans. Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) are obtained from 3-5 day old embryos that remain unused after an in vitro fertilization procedure.
ES cells are grown in a culture medium where they can divide indefinitely, creating ES cell lines. Under certain conditions, ES cells can differentiate, either spontaneously into a variety of...

Embryonic Stem Cells

Embryonic Stem Cells

Embryonic stem (ES) cells are undifferentiated pluripotent cells, meaning they can produce any cell type in the body. This gives them tremendous potential in science and medicine since they can generate specific cell types for use in research or to replace body cells lost due to damage or disease.

Stem Cell Culture

Stem Cell Culture

Stem cell research aims to find ways to use stem cells to regenerate and repair cellular damage. Over time, most adult cells undergo the wear and tear of aging and lose their ability to divide and repair themselves. Stem cells do not display a particular morphology or function. Adult stem cells, which exist as a small subset of cells in most tissues, keep dividing and can differentiate into a number of specialized cells generally formed by that tissue. These cells enable the body to renew and...

Maintenance of the ES Cell State

Maintenance of the ES Cell State

The cells of the blastocyst inner cell mass only remain pluripotent for a short time. This state of pluripotency and self-renewal can be maintained in embryonic stem (ES) cell culture by adding specific chemicals or growth factors to ensure the cells can continue dividing and later differentiate into different cell types. In some cases, the cells are grown on a feeder layer of differentiated cells, which provides the growth factors and extracellular matrix components necessary for stem cell...

Zygotic Development And Stem Cell Formation

Zygotic Development And Stem Cell Formation

The development of all multicellular organisms starts with the fusion of haploid cells called sperm and egg to form a diploid zygote. A zygote is a totipotent cell that can develop into a complete organism. The zygote undergoes cell division or cleavage to form an 8-cell mass. Until this stage, the cells are spherical, loosely attached, and remain totipotent. Totipotent cells are capable of developing both the embryonic and the extraembryonic tissues. However, as they continue to divide, they...

Source And Potency Of Stem Cells

Source And Potency Of Stem Cells

Stem cells are undifferentiated cells with extensive self-renewal properties that help them maintain their population during the fetal and adult stages of life. They can specialize in all cell types of the human body. However, their differential potential may vary and can be classified into five types. Stem cells can be (1) Totipotent, (2) Pluripotent, (3) Multipotent, (4) Oligopotent, and (5) Unipotent. Each stem cell has a specific origin; the fertilized egg or zygote is a totipotent cell and...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Global prediction of antimicrobial resistance burden and trends using machine learning, deep learning, and GenAI.

Annals of medicine and surgery (2012)·2026

Same author

Agentic AI scientists and the rise of virtual laboratories.

Annals of medicine and surgery (2012)·2026

Same author

The transformative impact of AI-enabled AlphaFold 3: evolution, current status, and future prospects in structural biology.

Frontiers in artificial intelligence·2026

Same author

CRISPR-Cas9-mediated therapeutics: Current clinical trials and therapy approval landscape to treat human diseases.

Molecular therapy. Nucleic acids·2026

Same author

Computational analysis of hub genes associated with sarcopenia: integrative transcriptome insights from an Asian cohort.

EXCLI journal·2026

Same author

Re-emergence of Nipah Virus in Eastern India: Urgent need for enhanced surveillance.

New microbes and new infections·2026

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 20, 2026

Establishment of Cancer Stem Cell Cultures from Human Conventional Osteosarcoma

Establishment of Cancer Stem Cell Cultures from Human Conventional Osteosarcoma

Published on: October 14, 2016

Stem cells in the light of evolution.

Chiranjib Chakraborty¹, Govindasamy Agoramoorthy

¹Medical Biotechnology Division, School of Bio-Sciences & Technology, VIT University, Vellore, India.

The Indian Journal of Medical Research

|July 25, 2012

Summary

Stem cells are crucial for organism survival and evolution, enabling regeneration and multicellularity. This review connects modern stem cell research with evolutionary biology and regenerative medicine applications.

Area of Science:

Evolutionary Biology
Regenerative Medicine
Developmental Biology

Background:

Stem cells are fundamental to organism survival and evolution.
They are implicated in the development of key traits like regeneration, multicellularity, and coloniality.
Stem cells are vital for advancements in regenerative medicine.

Purpose of the Study:

To review the evolutionary origins of stem cells.
To link modern stem cell research with historical observations in ancient organisms.
To highlight the regenerative potential, coloniality, and multicellularity aspects of stem cells in evolution.

Main Methods:

Literature review of ancient biological studies and modern stem cell research.
Comparative analysis of stem cell functions across different organisms.

More Related Videos

Feeder-free Derivation of Melanocytes from Human Pluripotent Stem Cells

Feeder-free Derivation of Melanocytes from Human Pluripotent Stem Cells

Published on: March 3, 2016

Live Imaging Followed by Single Cell Tracking to Monitor Cell Biology and the Lineage Progression of Multiple Neural Populations

Live Imaging Followed by Single Cell Tracking to Monitor Cell Biology and the Lineage Progression of Multiple Neural Populations

Published on: December 16, 2017

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 20, 2026

Establishment of Cancer Stem Cell Cultures from Human Conventional Osteosarcoma

Establishment of Cancer Stem Cell Cultures from Human Conventional Osteosarcoma

Published on: October 14, 2016

Feeder-free Derivation of Melanocytes from Human Pluripotent Stem Cells

Feeder-free Derivation of Melanocytes from Human Pluripotent Stem Cells

Published on: March 3, 2016

Live Imaging Followed by Single Cell Tracking to Monitor Cell Biology and the Lineage Progression of Multiple Neural Populations

Live Imaging Followed by Single Cell Tracking to Monitor Cell Biology and the Lineage Progression of Multiple Neural Populations

Published on: December 16, 2017

Synthesis of evolutionary and developmental biology perspectives on stem cells.

Main Results:

Stem cells played a critical role in the evolution of complex life forms.
Understanding stem cell evolution provides insights into regenerative capabilities.
A historical perspective enriches current stem cell research and applications.

Conclusions:

Stem cells are a unifying concept across evolutionary and medical biology.
Further integrated research can unlock new regenerative medicine strategies.
The evolutionary context is essential for a comprehensive understanding of stem cells.