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Nature Cell Biology 8, 313–314 (1 April 2006) | doi:10.1038/ncb0406-313

Oocytes originating from skin?

Hans R. Sch|[ouml]|ler & Guangming Wu

The distinction between somatic and germline cells has captivated scientists since they first tried to understand how organisms develop. According to a theory proposed by August Weismann in 1885, the soma (or body) carries the germ (or bud), which is defined by a plasm containing specific 'determinants'.