'Virgin birth' mammal rewrites rules of biology
The mouse is the daughter of two female parents, but experts are sceptical that the technique could help two women have a biological child
21 April 2004

Five "designer babies" created for stem cells
Babies with a perfect tissue match to help treat their sick siblings are created in the US
05 May 2004

Fat stem cells heal broken skulls
For the first time, fat stem cells heal a living animal - the cells perform as well as bone marrow cells and are much easier to harvest
13 April 2004

Stem cell tricks hint at baldness cures
Follicle stem cells from mice grow new hair when transplanted to other animals, while genetic analyses could suggest drug treatments
14 March 2004

Cloned human embryos are stem cell breakthrough
Thirty human embryos grow further than ever before, and produce the stem cells that could one day provide powerful new medical treatments
12 February 2004

'Humanised' organs can be grown in animals
Injecting human stem cells into sheep fetuses produces animals with partially human organs - a possible source of matched transplants
17 December 2003

Global therapeutic cloning ban averted
A surprise attempt to bring in a worldwide ban on human cloning for medical purposes fails at the last minute
10 December 2003

Blood could generate body repair kit
Blood cells can be swiftly transformed into a stem-cell like state, claim researchers about to start human trials - impossible, say experts
26 November 2003

Europe backs embryonic stem cell research
In a "highly charged and emotional" vote, the European Parliament supports public funding of the controversial work
19 November 2003

UN postpones global human cloning ban
A failure to agree over cloning for medical research means no worldwide ban on creating cloned babies is now possible before 2005
07 November 2003

Plan to make human cloning safe set out
The ambitious program is not aimed at cloning babies, but ensuring the safety of genetically-matched tissue transplants
31 October 2003

Ban cloning babies, demand world's top scientists
More than 60 of the world's leading academies have joined forces in a bid to outlaw the cloning of human babies
22 September 2003

Human-rabbit embryos intensify stem cell debate
The work, aimed at finding a new source of the promising cells, has been both hailed as a breakthrough and criticised
15 August 2003

Stem cells enable paralysed rats to walk
The findings suggest embryonic stem cells could have a valuable role to play in treating spinal injuries
03 July 2003

Dolly lab to create 'virgin birth' embryos
The researchers who cloned Dolly the sheep are granted the first UK licence to create human embryos for stem cell research
10 June 2003

Stem cells can become 'normal sperm'
Researchers are very close to creating sperm outside of the body for the first time, New Scientist has learned - the implications could be immense
07 May 2003

Embryonic stem cells turned into eggs
The remarkable feat in mouse cells is likely also to work in humans, suggesting enormous implications for infertility and cloning
01 May 2003

Adult stem cells tackle multiple sclerosis
The cells sought out and repaired damaged nerves in mice - primate experiments are now underway
16 April 2003

Mini-pig clone raises transplant hope
The pig has human-size organs and lacks a gene that provokes rejection - but significant hurdles remain
13 January 2003

Second cloned baby claim
Clonaid claims a cloned child is about to be born in Europe, but efforts to substantiate their assertions are unravelling
03 January 2003