英語時差：智齒干細(xì)胞（上）

Wisdom teeth can be a nuisance. They may have once served a purpose way back in human prehistory…but today many people simply get rid of them. According to one study, though, wisdom teeth may be more useful than we realize at least when it comes to stem cell research. Stems cells are blank slate like cells that under certain conditions can morph into any number of different cell types found in the body. In theory, stem cells may be useful as a way to treat some diseases. But for reasons both political and technical, human stem cells are not always easy to come by. In 2006, scientists discovered that manipulating genes in regular adult cells can turn them into something resembling stem cells. The process is not simple, however, and doesn’t work well with skin cells, which are the most readily available.