Human stem cells cloned for the first time

An international team of scientists announced today that for the first time ever, they were able to create new human stem cells by cloning older, fully mature human cells. The process cannot be used to create full human clones, as the scientists involved were quick to point out, but it does allow for cells to be grown to fit specific functions within an individual's body -- resulting in new, patient-specific liver cells or heart cells that actually pulse on their own, for example.