Question: Can cells adapt to any type at all or are their natural restrictions??

Stuart Higgins answered on 5 Mar 2019:

Depends on the cell, there are different types that can adapt/change to different amounts. So for example in humans, the cells in an embryo can change into pretty much any of type of cell – they kind of have to to form more complex organs. So these cells are pretty flexible – this is often this kind of cells people are referring to when they talk about stem cells.

Then there are cells that can change into a more limited range of things (we use some at work that turn into muscle cells for example). These cells won’t change into something completely different, but still have some flexibility.

Then there’s a lot of cells that stick to just a few types. They’re not going to go wandering off and becoming something completely different.

Understanding how/why cells change type is a big deal in biology. Some scientists won a Nobel prize in 2012 for working out how to turn cells that had already become one type back into stem cells. One of the ideas is that you could take adult cells from somebody, turn them back into your own stem cells, then use those to help repair/rebuild your body.