Fake Cloner Stumbled Onto Major Stem Cell Find

The South Korean stem cell researcher who faked cloning a human egg and forged research results actually made a huge discovery without realizing it. Scientists reviewing his work have discovered that his team's embryonic stem cells were the product of unfertilized eggs that underwent parthenogenesis, or divided on their own, the Times reports.

Parthenogenesis is an easier process to replicate than cloning, and the process could lead to custom-built replacement organs that contain a patient's DNA and would carry no risk of rejection. Other researchers have created embryonic stem cells through parthenogenesis since Hwang Woo Suk was disgraced in 2005, but the scandal concealed what would have been a breakthrough. (More stem cells stories.)