The Nature Reviews journals are presenting a collection of articles on stem cells, free to access online for six months. Stem-cell research has a history of more than 20 years, and has made some outstanding contributions to our understanding of haematopoiesis (the formation of blood cells) and embryology. The field has been transformed by successes achieved in culturing embryonic stem cells and in manipulating their differentiation in vitro. We are gaining a better understanding of both embryonic and adult stem cells at the molecular level and of how they behave in their biological context — progress that is of great significance in cell and developmental biology. An introductory editorial and summary of some of the articles in the collection can be read here.

Read more on the topic at Nature Reports Stem Cells, with its associated blog The Niche.