I'm a sucker for a certain type of popular science book, pulling back the curtain to watch the scientific method in progress. InformIT is excepting from a new book on the recent history of stem cell research: "The scientific and medical implications contained in this short paper are profound and unambiguous. Embryonic stem cells could be used to generate new tissue and organs for transplantations. Defective and dying tissues caused by diseases such as Parkinson's or diabetes could be replaced with an unlimited supply of specially grown stem cells. Cultures of human stem cells could be used as laboratory tools to help identify new drugs and therapies. For pure scientists like Thomson, observing stem cells in the laboratory could provide insights into how all animals embark upon the magnificent developmental process that begins with a single cell."

Link: http://www.informit.com/articles/printerfriendly.asp?p=424446