Which characteristic is unique to embryonic stem cells compared to somatic stem cells?

Embryonic stem cells possess the unique characteristic of being able to differentiate into all cell types of the organism, which is referred to as pluripotency. This means that embryonic stem cells can give rise to any cell type found in the body, including neurons, muscle cells, and blood cells. This capability arises because they are derived from the inner cell mass of a blastocyst, an early-stage embryo, which has not yet begun to differentiate into the various tissues and organs.

In contrast, somatic stem cells, which are found in various tissues of the body, have limited potential and are typically categorized as multipotent or unipotent. Multipotent somatic stem cells can differentiate into a limited range of cell types, usually related to their tissue of origin (such as hematopoietic stem cells differentiating into various blood cell types) but cannot form all cell types.

The ability to self-renew is a characteristic shared by both embryonic and somatic stem cells, as they both can divide and generate more stem cells. Similarly, while somatic stem cells do have the ability to differentiate, they lack the complete versatility of embryonic stem cells, which can become any cell type. Finally, while somatic stem cells are