Stem cells are a particular type of cells found in all multicellular organisms, including humans. They distinguish themselves from the other cells of our body through three unique properties:
- They can divide throughout our lifespan, a feature defined as long-term self-renewal.
- They have retained part of the potency of embryonic cells to give rise to multiple cell types
- They can give rise to specialized cell types in a process called differentiation.
A comprehensive guide to this topic can be found on the website:
https://stemcells.nih.gov/info/basics/1.htm