Scientists have kept human embryos alive in a laboratory for longer than ever before, but the major breakthrough has reignited an old ethical debate.
Research teams from the University of Cambridge and The Rockefeller University in New York cultured the embryos for 13 days, almost double the previous record and past the point at which a foetus would naturally implant in the womb.
"It opens a new window on the earliest stages of human development while pushing the limits of embryonic research," says the Wall Street Journal.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The time after implantation is when "some of the most important [biological] decisions are made", said Cambridge professor Magdalena Zernicka-Goetz, a senior author of one of the studies, which used a new technique originally tested on mice in 2014.
"It was entirely a black box of development that we were not able to access until now," she said.
It is hoped that the discovery could help improve IVF success rates, shed light on birth defects and give a greater insight into why miscarriages occur.
But, as The Guardian points out, it also puts scientists into "direct conflict" with laws prohibiting donated embryos from being grown in a laboratory for more than 14 days. "Until now, the barrier has been science, not law," the newspaper says.
Some in the scientific community are now calling for those rules to be reconsidered.
The 14-day time limit is pegged to the time at which human embryos can no longer fuse or split, says Science Magazine. "That, in the eyes of some religious bioethicists, marks the threshold at which an embryo is a distinct human."
But critics argue going beyond that point would open a new window into human biology. It could help researchers address "deeply compelling questions", such as how the nervous system is formed, said Harvard University stem cell researcher George Daley.
However, there continues to be a lack of consensus among experts. Zernicka-Goetz agrees that the scientific benefits of extending the period would be significant, but says: "It's not for us now to decide whether we should do it or not."
She added: "Rules are very useful, we would always adhere to them."
-
October 5 editorial cartoonsCartoons Sunday's political cartoons include half-truth hucksters, Capitol lockdown, and more
-
Jaguar Land Rover’s cyber bailoutTalking Point Should the government do more to protect business from the ‘cyber shockwave’?
-
Russia: already at war with Europe?Talking Point As Kremlin begins ‘cranking up attacks’ on Ukraine’s European allies, questions about future action remain unanswered
-
Russia is ‘helping China’ prepare for an invasion of TaiwanIn the Spotlight Russia is reportedly allowing China access to military training
-
Interpol arrests hundreds in Africa-wide sextortion crackdownIN THE SPOTLIGHT A series of stings disrupts major cybercrime operations as law enforcement estimates millions in losses from schemes designed to prey on lonely users
-
China is silently expanding its influence in American citiesUnder the Radar New York City and San Francisco, among others, have reportedly been targeted
-
How China uses 'dark fleets' to circumvent trade sanctionsThe Explainer The fleets are used to smuggle goods like oil and fish
-
One year after mass protests, why are Kenyans taking to the streets again?today's big question More than 60 protesters died during demonstrations in 2024
-
What happens if tensions between India and Pakistan boil over?TODAY'S BIG QUESTION As the two nuclear-armed neighbors rattle their sabers in the wake of a terrorist attack on the contested Kashmir region, experts worry that the worst might be yet to come
-
Why Russia removed the Taliban's terrorist designationThe Explainer Russia had designated the Taliban as a terrorist group over 20 years ago
-
Inside the Israel-Turkey geopolitical dance across SyriaTHE EXPLAINER As Syria struggles in the wake of the Assad regime's collapse, its neighbors are carefully coordinating to avoid potential military confrontations
