Joseph's Bones

[Mr. M]

Genesis 50:25 Then Joseph took an oath from the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you,

and you shall carry up my bones from here.

I have often wondered about the significance of bones. They are mentioned 84 times in the Bible (KJV).

A few to consider.

2 Kings 13:20 Then Elisha died, and they buried him (placed him in a sepulcher). And the raiding bands from Moab invaded the land in the spring of the year. 21 So it was, as they were burying a man, that suddenly they spied a band of raiders; and they put the man in the tomb of Elisha; and when the man was let down and touched the bones of Elisha, he revived and stood on his feet.

A well known verse from Jeremiah.

20:9 Then I said, I will not make mention of Him,
Nor speak anymore in His name.
But His word was in my heart like a burning fire
Shut up in my bones;
I was weary of holding it back,
And I could not.

In the scriptures we are told that life is in the blood. Now in our modern world, we know that the essentials of blood are produced in the bone marrow. This is the first place that stem cells were found, and they are being used for seemingly (at least to modern minds) miraculous healings. Stem cell research is revolutionary and controversial. In 2001, the W. Bush administration banned stem cell research using embryos as demeaning to life. Are stem cells unique to the individual? Perhaps, I should be posting this in science and faith, but people without an interest in science aren't found there, and anyone may have learned something that would enlighten, such as anyone who works close to the medical field. I continue to puzzle over this, and hope to get some insights from others by throwing this out there. You may think that I am out there, and I can't say that I would argue that point, but I am intrigued. How about you? Have I peaked your interest?

[Mr. M]

I. Introduction: What are stem cells, and why are they important?

Stem cells have the remarkable potential to renew themselves. They can develop into many different cell types in the body during early life and growth. Researchers study many different types of stem cells. There are several main categories: the “pluripotent” stem cells (embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells) and nonembryonic or somatic stem cells (commonly called “adult” stem cells). Pluripotent stem cells have the ability to differentiate into all of the cells of the adult body. Adult stem cells are found in a tissue or organ and can differentiate to yield the specialized cell types of that tissue or organ.

Pluripotent stem cells

Early mammalian embryos at the blastocyst stage contain two types of cells – cells of the inner cell mass, and cells of the trophectoderm. The trophectodermal cells contribute to the placenta. The inner cell mass will ultimately develop into the specialized cell types, tissues, and organs of the entire body of the organism. Previous work with mouse embryos led to the development of a method in 1998 to derive stem cells from the inner cell mass of preimplantation human embryos and to grow human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) in the laboratory. In 2006, researchers identified conditions that would allow some mature human adult cells to be reprogrammed into an embryonic stem cell-like state. Those reprogramed stem cells are called induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs).

Adult stem cells

Throughout the life of the organism, populations of adult stem cells serve as an internal repair system that generates replacements for cells that are lost through normal wear and tear, injury, or disease. Adult stem cells have been identified in many organs and tissues and are generally associated with specific anatomical locations. These stem cells may remain quiescent (non-dividing) for long periods of time until they are activated by a normal need for more cells to maintain and repair tissues.