Posted on 09/11/2019 3:02:52 PM PDT by ransomnote
Scientists have invented a device that can quickly produce large numbers of living entities that resemble very primitive human embryos.
Researchers welcomed the development, described Wednesday in the journal Nature, as an important advance for studying the earliest days of human embryonic development. But it also raises questions about where to draw the line in manufacturing "synthetic" human life.
Other scientists have previously created synthetic embryos, which are also known as embryoids. These entities are made by coaxing human stem cells to form structures found in very early human embryos. The research has raised questions about how similar to complete embryos they could and should be allowed to become.
The new work takes such research further by creating a method that can rapidly generate relatively large numbers of embryoids.
"This new system allows us to achieve a superior efficiency to generate these human embryo-like structures," says Jianping Fu, an associate professor of biomedical engineering at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, who led the research.
Fu calls the step "an exciting new milestone for this emerging field" that should significantly improve the ability of scientists to study early human development.
"Such human embryo-like structures have a lot of potential to open what we call the so-called black box of human development," Fu says.
He's referring to the first few weeks after a sperm fertilizes an egg, when the embryo is inside a woman's body and hard to study. A long-standing guideline bars scientists from conducting research on embryos in their labs beyond 14 days of development for ethical reasons.
Fu says the ability to produce large numbers of embryoids, which are not subject to the 14-day guideline, will hopefully provide scientists with new insights into important health issues, including how to prevent birth defects and miscarriages.
MORE AT LINK
(Excerpt) Read more at npr.org ...
NPR has no ethics
Coaxed stem cells?
No sex involved, no original sin.
So he’s saying it’s a non fertilization event, ergo not a human life.
The article isn’t clear but his comment about being limited to 14 days after a fertilization not applying to his method indicates this is not a fertilization.
Blade Runner showing up at your door soon.
They will be able to vote too....hmmmmm....
Thanks.
Although it does indicate perhaps the source material is from abortions.
To my mind this is extra expensive and foolish (leaving aside the ethics of using abortion derived cells).
More could be learned using model systems of mouse and monkey.
This doesn’t end well, does it?
The scientists involved understand that this procedure can not successfully be used to produce embryos that would be allowed to fully develop into a human fetus. The fertilization process for all placental mammals including humans requires special epigenetic imprinting from the male germ cell (sperm) that is critical to the normal differentiation of embryo cells. The imprinting stimulates the production of specific enzymes and structures that don’t happen with an induced pluripotent stem cell (IPSC) by itself.
Without this material the fetus is potentially non-viable or, if born, would suffer serious medical conditions that would shorten its life significantly. This was discovered as a result of cloning other animals. The first generation if it survives at all is not healthy. If this animal is then bred naturally the normal fetus resets all the epigenetic controls and is fully functional. No scientist would ever be allowed to treat humans this way.
It doesn’t end well for us
I guess the Democrats are working to create a completely compliant slave race? D-mn that sounds horrid.
Scientists have invented a device that can quickly produce large numbers of living entities that resemble very primitive human embryos.
Whoa whoa! Did they to paraphrase, say “living primative embryos?” So a fertilized egg is not life, but a unfertized entity that is not fertialized is living?
Whoa whoa! Did they to paraphrase, say living primative embryos? So a fertilized egg is not life, but a unfertized entity that is not fertialized is living?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Whoa! NAILED IT!!! Good catch!
Scary, but it would solve the birth dearth.
An embryo is not an embryo for weeks. Maybe for a day or so. There are YouTube videos on this subject, you so-called scientists.
Excellent observation. It's alive or not alive, depending upon observation. The quantum world is not so mysterious after all. :-/
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.