Abstract: The invention relates to the field of embryology, embryogenesis, molecular genetics, (veterinary) medicine and zoo-technical sciences, and to the generation of stem cell-like cells. The invention provides a method for obtaining a stem cell-like cell from a sample taken from a multicellular organism, preferably an organism with some measure of differentiated tissue, thus preferably being beyond the morula stage, comprising culturing cells from the sample and allowing for transcription, translation or expression by at least one of the cells of a gene or gene product that in general is differentially expressed at the various different phases of embryonic development of the organism as described.