If disgraced South Korean stem cell scientist Hwang Woo-Suk hadn't been so intent on fabricating his cloning results, he might have noticed that he'd coaxed unfertilized eggs into dividing -- a method that could lead to "ethical" stem cells.
The process, known has parthenogensis, is basically asexual reproduction -- some insects and reptiles do it, but no mammals are known to do it. Scientists have pursued it for years as a potential way to derive embryonic stem cells that are genetically matched to the egg donor (and may also be less ethically troublesome).
In June, researchers claimed to have done this, prompting a much-argued Wired Science post on ESCs and souls.
Stem cell fraudster accidentally created first 'virgin conception' [The Independent]
Recombination Signatures Distinguish Embryonic Stem Cells Derived by Parthenogenesis and Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer [Cell Stem Cell]
