What is the difference between a pluripotent stem cell and an diploid somatic adult cell? Explain how these characteristics make them ideal for research.

Stem cells tend to have two distinct characteristics that set them apart from all other cell types.
1) They are able to grow indefinitely in defined media unlike somatic cells which die after 40-60 divisions (the Hayflick limit). This means it is possible to start off with a small number of cells and keep growing more without purchasing new cell lines.
2) Pluripotent stem cells can differentiate into any cell type in the body unlike somatic cells which are fully differentiated. This is useful for studying how the same mutation effects different cells types of one organ e.g. the liver.