The following statements are true about stem cells:
- When stem cells specialize (turn into a certain type of cell), the genes that cell does not need are turned off.
- Stem cells in the embryo are called embryonic stem cells.
The first statement is correct because differentiation of stem cells involves the regulation of gene expression where unnecessary genes are typically silenced to allow the cell to fulfill its specific function.
The second statement is correct as well, as stem cells derived from embryos are known as embryonic stem cells.
The other statements can be misleading:
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Stem cells can turn into any type of cell: muscle cell, skin cell, nerve cell, etc. This statement is true for totipotent and pluripotent stem cells (like embryonic stem cells), but it's not universally true for all types of stem cells (e.g., adult stem cells are usually multipotent and can only differentiate into a limited range of cell types).
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When a gene is turned off, that means that it will not be turned into a protein at all in that cell’s lifetime. This statement isn't entirely accurate because some genes can be turned back on under certain conditions, or they might produce residual products or have small levels of expression even when considered "off."
So the correct selections are the second and fourth statements.
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