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This image shows a brain organoid with optic cups. Credit: Elke Gabriel ============================================================================== Human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) can be used to generate brain organoids containing an eye structure called the optic cup, according to a study published on August 17, 2021, in the journal Cell Stem Cell. The organoids spontaneously developed bilaterally symmetric optic cups from the front of the brain-like region, demonstrating the intrinsic self-patterning ability of iPSCs in a highly complex biological process. “Our work highlights the remarkable ability of brain organoids to generate primitive sensory structures that are light sensitive and harbor cell types similar...

Concerns about ethical boundaries in scientific research are growing as reports surface about scientists creating three-parent embryos, hybridizing humans and animals and growing human brains. A new experiment out of the University Hospital Düsseldorf in Germany is raising more concerns after scientists said they grew human brain organoids, or small versions of human organs, that began spontaneously growing eyes, according to Science Alert. Scientists at the university said the rudimentary eyes recognized light and sent information to the brain. Though the discovery is disturbing, some scientists celebrated the discovery as a new avenue for research on human development. Here’s more...