Some of Australia's leading bio-scientists are taking a closer look at a new, ethically acceptable stem cell research route that avoids the use of human embryos in the search for possible cures for degenerative diseases. While not yet convinced that the "exciting" new method is as promising as using embryonic stem cells, they are studying the relative merits of the two approaches. A major research breakthrough announced in Japan and the U.S. last November revealed that human "adult" skin cells can be reprogrammed into a new kind of cell -- an induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell -- that shares an...