Editor's Summary
29 March 2007
Fate expectations
Several high-profile papers on the ability of adult stem cells to transdifferentiate — to switch cell fates and mimic embryonic stem cells by giving rise to a range of different tissues — have proved controversial. Some labs have been unable to replicate some aspects of the work, and possible explanations have become extremely involved. Erika Check investigates.
News Feature: Stem cells: The hard copy
Researchers have found certain stem-cell studies notoriously difficult to replicate. Erika Check finds out why, and whether it is slowing down the field.
doi:10.1038/446485a
