But to be a true stem cell, this must be the oddest of great-great-great-grandfathers. It must also give birth to a copy of itself that can maintain the replenishment of the lineage. This great-great-great-grandfather, besides birthing a child (that will go on to establish an enormous lineage), must also birth a copy of itself—an eternally alive twin. And once this self-renewing great-great-great-grandfather is born, the process of regeneration can become limitless. There’s a mythic quality to such a setup—and indeed, in myths, one often finds attempts by powerful kings or Gods to make backup
...more
