HIGHLIGHT

Stem cells are believed to be immortal. However, literature evaluation suggests this conventional wisdom may be wrong. In contrast, increasing scientific evidence and logical reasoning on objective observations suggest that stem cells are mortal, just like any other cells. Stem cells have been described as immortal cells. However, careful literature analysis and logical reasoning have led to a conclusion that this conventional wisdom may be wrong. The root of this misconception on stem cell may be traced back to the fundamental ancestral mistakes in microbiology when microbiologists incorrectly miss-identified the mother cell still lives after its cell reproduction as a “daughter ” cell. This misunderstanding of cell life can be reflected with the labeling of the continued existence of the mother stem cell as a “self-renewal ” – formation of another “daughter ” cell resembling its mother cell. Attaching observations on asymmetric cell division and the regular distribution of template DNA stand into one of the two cells formed from one cell to the so-called “immortal DNA stand” hypothesis is logically wrong and scientifically incorrect. Instead one should consider the retention of the template DNA strand within one cell as a strong argument for naming this cell as the mother cell and clearly distinguish it from the true daughter cell which receives a copied new strand of DNA. Under no circumstance this biotic reality implies any immortality for the DNA strand or the cell receiving this DNA strand. It is more likely the old template DNA strand is actually a most liable DNA strand due to its aging status. To conclusively prove whether the traditional view or the new concept is right scientific experiments based on truly single cell-level tracking or population study using bona fide chronological age-synchronized cells are necessary