Summary: Next year, Missourians might vote on whether to permit embryonic stem cell research. The bill also includes somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT), sometimes called therapeutic cloning, a process scientists at the Stowers Institute think can be used to fight some disease by producing embryonic stem cells generated in a human egg.

Summary: South Korean scientist Hwang Woo Suk said he is retracting a landmark study on stem cells after acknowledging ``human errors'' in some of the documentation. He denied media reports he had falsified some results.

Summary: Stem cells have the remarkable potential to develop into many different cell types in the body. Serving as a sort of repair system for the body, they can theoretically divide without limit to replenish other cells as long as the person or animal is still alive. When a stem cell divides, each new cell has the potential to either remain a stem cell or become another type of cell with a more specialized function, such as a muscle cell, a red blood cell, or a brain cell.