Stem Cell Informative Speech

First, where do stem cells come from, and what properties do they exhibit that make them stem cells? Human embryonic stem cells come from an embryo that develops from an egg. These eggs were originally collected for reproductive purposes. The eggs are fertilized in vitro, and the embryo is donated for research. The donation only happens after the eggs are no longer needed. The donor is informed of the intended use, and consent has been given. These stem cells are found when the embryo is between three and five days old. The embryo, at this point in development, is called a blastocyst. It is the inner group of cells in the blastocyst that contains the stem cells. “Stem cells have three unique properties: they can divide and renew themselves for long periods; they are unspecialized; and they can give rise to specialized cell types ("What Are the Unique Properties of All Stem Cells?").”
Next I will take you through a brief history of advances that made stem cell research possible.
In 1878 the first attempt was made to fertilize mammal eggs via in vitro fertilization or IVF. Eighty years later in 1958 reports came in that scientists had produce rabbits through IVF. Ten years later, in 1968 Edwards and Bavister were successful in fertilizing the first human egg in vitro. Ten years later in 1978, the first (IVF) baby was born in England. Finally in 1981 scientist discovered a method to extract stem cells from mice embryos. They grew these stem cells in the laboratory and studied them. This led to method of extracting stem cells from a human embryo in
1998.