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Dedifferentiation

As a fertilized egg grows, it splits into first a few, and then hundreds, then thousands, then millions. billions and trillions of cells. These cells develop into embryonic muscles, organs, bones, and so on, gradually becoming a viable organism. When the process is complete, what had been an egg is ready to step out into the world as an independent, living being.

Each of these trillions of cells has started out with very little organization, but as it grows, the DNA of each cell dictates what that individual cell will be able to do when it matures. This process of specialization is called differentiation.

Under certain conditions, these specialized adult cells are able to dedifferentiate into unspecialized, primitive cells which can then acquire new, specialized traits in accordance with the needs of the organism.