Question

what is totipotency?

Answer 1

The ability of a cell, such as an egg, to give rise to unlike cells and thus to develop into or generate a new organism or part.

Answer 2

Thanx kma

Answer 3

That's a textbook definition^

How I think of it, though, is that your totipotent cells are the ones that form right after fertilization, in other words - they're your early cells that if you take one of em away from the growing embryo, you could grow yourself another organism.

You hear a lot about pluripotent stem cells in the news, so I'll quickly mention them as well - these are simply cells that can still differentiate into other types of cells, except their "range" is a lot more limited. Example - one type of pluripotent stem cells only differentiates to become your red and white blood cells.

Answer 4

Toti, total vs Pluri, plural (or many) - just a way to remember things!

Answer 5

thanx kma