Another scientific breakthrough took the world by surprise. This has raised many eyebrows because it is both exciting and terrifying at the same time. Scientists have developed a shocking ‘Living Human Embryo’ without eggs or sperm! Many are still trying to fathom the very idea of it. The Embryo is developed with stem cells. However, people are wondering if this ‘new‘ human creation can grow into a real human being. Let’s dive in to know more about this mind-boggling discovery!
Research Study and Findings
The world of science is taking new turns every day. But this ‘Living Human Embryo’ without a sperm or an embryo surely shows how far scientists have reached! This embryo model focuses on understanding the earliest moments of life. This human embryo is grown outside a womb and in a laboratory. The embryo is still unable to grow into a real-life human being. The Weizmann Institute in Israel built the model embryo.
This surprising embryo is similar to a 14-day-old embryo. Tiny balls of tissue in the embryo combine perfectly arranged stem cells. Its structure mimics a 3D organization of all the features in a human embryo. At 14 days the embryo is half a millimetre wide.
“This is the first embryo model that has structural compartment organization and morphological similarity to a human embryo at day 14,” says the lead professor of the study, Prof Jacob Hanna.
However, this minuscule structure is not perfectly identical to human embryos. Researchers are hoping to develop it even more as it is still not viable to grow into a full human being. professor Jacob says that they tweaked its genetics so it doesn’t grow a brain or a nervous system. The research team also says that it cannot be used for pregnancy as it cannot be implanted into a womb. The reports for the strip test also came positive, when tested with embryo fluid from the dish.
As exciting as this may sound, it does raise some ethical questions. Dr Peter Rugg-Gunn, an intellect in embryonic development at the Babraham Institute has shed some light into the matter. He describes it as ‘significant’ and ‘impressive.’ However, he says such work “do raise important ethical considerations.”
“Thorough evaluation and discussions on this important subject are underway internationally and in the UK through the Governance of Stem Cell-Based Embryo Models project,” says Dr Peter Rugg-Gunn.
Conclusion
Another scientific breakthrough took the world by surprise. This has raised many eyebrows because it is both exciting and terrifying at the same time. Scientists have developed a shocking ‘Living Human Embryo’ without eggs or sperm! The embryo is still unable to grow into a real-life human being. The Weizmann Institute in Israel built the model embryo.