The Cross Stem

Scientists are scrambling to find an alternative to embryonic tissue in order to do research on stem cells. Now a new source of stem cells has emerged from the most unlikely place: human fat.

No one wants it. Most of us fight it. We'll do almost anything to rid ourselves of it.

Fat.

We're pathologically fat phobic. Christians chant, "Jesus diet for my sins," or try to shave some poundage by signing up for The 14-Day Beauty Boot Camp Diet, The Miniskirt-Is-Back Workout or the Fat Flush Diet. We know that there's no such thing as a (fat) free lunch.

It's not that fat is ugly. Fat is beautiful. Always has been. Cleopatra was a chunk: At five feet tall and 150 pounds, she was the first spokesperson for size acceptance. Rubens and Titian had no time for anorexics. Or just ask Camyrn Manheim of ABC's The Practice. Her book, Wake Up! I'm Fat, is on the New York Times best-seller list and was one of the most requested books on NPR. You won't find Manheim worrying about her daily quota of Essential Fatty Acids (EFA). Still, it's just that sometimes you wonder what fat is good for.

Not any more.

The scientific community is now transforming cells from unwanted fat into muscle, cartilage...