Q.What is stem cell therapy? Explain the elementary difference between an embryonic stem cell and an adult (somatic) stem cell in terms of their potency to differentiate into different cell types.

[!TLDR] Stem cells both self-renew and differentiate into specialised cell types; embryonic stem cells are pluripotent (nearly any cell type), adult stem cells are typically multipotent (limited to their own tissue's cell types). …

A stem cell is defined by two properties working together: the capacity for self-renewal, meaning it can divide to produce more stem cells and so maintain its own population over time, and the capacity for differentiation, meaning it can, under the right conditions, develop into one or more kinds of specialised, mature cell types that carry out a specific function in the body.

Stem cells are classified by how broad their differentiation potential is, a property called potency. Embryonic stem cells, derived from a very early-stage embryo, are described as pluripotent: because the embryo at that very early stage has not yet committed its cells to any particular tissue fate, these stem cells retain the ability to differentiate into almost any of the many specialised cell types found throughout the body -- nerve cells, muscle cells, blood cells, and so on -- given appropriate signals. …

Define self-renewal and differentiation as the two defining stem-cell properties first, then use 'potency' as the specific …

Do not describe adult stem cells as having NO differentiation capacity at all -- they are multipotent (limited but real diffe …