“Who would have thought that to reprogram adult cells to a pluripotent state just required a small amount of acid for less than half an hour – it’s an incredible discovery.”

“It’s mother nature’s repair process.”

“The implication is that you can very easily, from a drop of blood and simple techniques, create a perfect identical twin”

By stressing regular adult human cells (30 mins in an acid bath), they literally curl up into a foetal position – they become the very same embryonic stem cells that have the power to become any human cell.

Now, Vacanti, along with Haruko Obokata at the Riken Center for Developmental Biology in Kobe, Japan, and colleagues have discovered a different way to rewind adult cells – without touching the DNA. The method is striking for its simplicity: all you need to do is place the cells in a stressful situation, such as an acidic environment.

Stem cells are already being used to repair humans. This new discovery means it is highly likely that within a decade or two we will be able to repair virtually any damage to our bodies. And create human clones. Although most non-scientists would prefer this to never happen, some scientists will find it hard to resist.

Source New Scientist Feb 1 2014, found online here.