On a somewhat related note, my dad (a dentist and scientist) recently discovered that there are stem cells that are almost as easy to manipulate as embryonic on

On a somewhat related note, my dad (a dentist and scientist) recently discovered that there are stem cells that are almost as easy to manipulate as embryonic ones .. in our mouthes [1][2]. He always wondered why our gums heal so quickly, even as we age. [1] Sorry for the PR-ish link (I'll ask him for the actual paper) - http://singularityhub.com/2012/05/10/toothless-no-more-researchers-using-stem-cells-to-grow-new-teeth/ http://singularityhub.com/2012/05/10/toothless-no-more-resea... [Edit 2] Here's the original publication (free) from Stem Cells Journal http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/stem.425/abstract http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/stem.425/abstract