Developmental 'road maps' chart the steps from simple cells to mature specialized cells. A newly discovered variety of blood-cell progenitor doesn't fit into the accepted blood map, but should that map be redrawn?

Developmental 'road maps' chart the steps from simple cells to mature specialized cells. A newly discovered variety of blood-cell progenitor doesn't fit into the accepted blood map, but should that map be redrawn?

For practical and ethical reasons, researchers are on the lookout for ways to reprogramme one mature cell type into another. In one case, this might be as easy as switching off a single gene.