Scientists at the California Institute of Technology and the University of Cambridge in Britain have used stem cells to create what they call a “synthetic human embryo.” The scientists involved promise they will use the technology for research purposes and not to produce transhuman nightmares beyond our comprehension.
The “embryos” were made without sperm or egg cells, and do not contain a beating heart of anything that resembles a brain. However, as the Guardian reports, they “include cells that would typically go on to form the placenta, yolk sac and the embryo itself.”
An embryologist works on a petri dish at the Create Health fertility clinic in south London, Thursday, Aug. 14, 2013. Britain’s fertility regulator said the first babies created using an experimental technique combining DNA from three people have been born, in an effort to prevent the children from inheriting rare genetic diseases. (AP Photo/Sang Tan, File)
Laws in the UK would prevent a synthetic embryo from being implanted into a human womb, even if they were capable of developing into a fully-fledged child, which is not clear from the Cambridge-Caltech study. However, scientists say they can use the proto-embryos for research purposes.
Dr Ildem Akerman, Associate Professor in Functional Genomics and Diabetes UK RD Lawrence Fellow, University of Birmingham, said there were a number of illnesses that could be researched.
“It will provide scientists with a model to investigate the events that occur during the initial 14 days of life,” said Akerman.
“Up until now, we have only been able to observe such processes in animal models like zebrafish and mice. Having this knowledge can be immensely valuable for regenerative medicine, where scientists aim to generate different cell types from stem cells (i.e. pancreatic beta cells for people living with T1 diabetes). It can give us valuable insights into genetic disorders.”
However, Akerman disputed whether the embryo created by the Cambridge-Caltech lab could truly be called “synthetic.”
“It’s important to clarify that although the authors referred to them as ‘synthetic’ embryos, these cell clusters are not truly synthetic in the sense that they are created from scratch,” said Akerman.
“Instead, they are derived from living stem cells that originate from an embryo. Essentially, what scientists do is cultivate a single stem cell and encourage its growth into an organized group of cells that, in theory, possess the potential to develop into an implantable embryo.”
Allum Bokhari is the senior technology correspondent at Breitbart News. He is the author of #DELETED: Big Tech’s Battle to Erase the Trump Movement and Steal The Election.