Reconstructing the life history of a single cell

(Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute) Scientists have created a way to rewind individual adult cells' life histories back to their origins in the embryo. Every cell contains a DNA record of its entire lineage from fusion of sperm and egg onwards and the new approach uses genetic differences between adult cells to reconstruct their lineages. The experiment used healthy mice. If mutation rates are similar in human tissue, similar techniques could provide insights into normal human cells' life historie...