Scientists now have a broader array of embryonic stem cell lines to choose from when racing to find potential cures for diseases such as diabetes and Parkinson’s.

New rules released from the Obama administration on Monday broaden the array of stem cell lines that can be used in federally funded research. Obama’s proposed rules originally would have required that donors of fertilized eggs sign extensive consent forms. The New York Times says the big test is whether the embryos used to create the stem cell lines were created for reproductive purposes, and whether donors freely consented for their use in research procedures. From now on, researchers will also have to prove that embryonic stem cells used in research were obtained from fertility clinic embryos that otherwise would have been discarded. The overarching concern is that scientists need to be sure the stem cells were obtained through ethical means.

While the Bush administration didn’t ban the use of embryonic stem cells altogether, federal funds were limited to a very small number of stem cell lines, which limited research. More research was allowed on non-embryonic stem cells. The San Francisco Chronicle reports that the National Institutes of Health will make sure all embryonic stem cell lines meet certain requirements, such as: The embryo that was destroyed to create a stem cell line must have been discarded by couples following an in-vitro fertilization procedure; the donors must have been told the embryo would be destroyed for stem cell research; and no donors could have been paid for an embryo.

Meanwhile, Obama doesn’t have stem cells on his mind today — he’s engrossed in U.S.-Russian relations. Obama is in Moscow today trying to "reset relations between the United States and Russia." He talked about Russia’s future, nuclear arms proliferation and other topics during a speech to students at the New Economic School in Moscow. Click here to read the text of his speech.

Obama also met with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, and the two talked about Iran. In an interview with FOX News on Tuesday, Obama said that Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin still casts a long shadow on Russia, but dismissed suggestions that Medvedev is little more than a Putin prop.

"Interestingly, nothing Putin said contradicted anything that Medvedev has said," Obama said. "Russia is still in a transition period. It’s still growing, still coming out of some of the legacies of the past."