One of the frontiers in medical science is finding ways to come up with simple cells that will “become” healthy cells of damaged tissues, to effect a cure. 

Of course the big controversy is the insistence of some researchers that they be allowed to harvest so-called “stem cells” from embryos — destroying the young human lives in the process. 

This despite the fact that it is not only barbaric to kill innocent human beings, even with the loftiest of motives, but it has also thus far been proven scientifically suspect. In fact, researchers have had much more luck with stem cells that are extracted from non-embryonic sources: bone marrow, umbilical cords, and a number of others. 

But what if you could skip the “stem cell” step altogether? 

That’s the latest discovery from scientists in California, who have succeeded in creating building block cells for brain tissue in mice — from their skin. 

Lead researcher Dr. Marius Wernig told the BBC: “We are thrilled about the prospects for potential medical use of these cells. 

“We’ve shown the cells can integrate into a mouse brain and produce a missing protein important for the conduction of electrical signal by the neurons. 

And it opens the doors to new therapies for brain injuries — all without killing.