WHILE everyone is preoccupied with mask-shaming and vac-cine-cheerleading, scientists are engaged in critical research with a more-lasting effect on our lives. For 100 years, scientists have dreamed of creating and developing life outside of a womb. In March, that dream came true. Scientists grew naturally conceived mouse embryos in tiny beakers for six days-the equivalent of the full first trimester of gestation. At this point, the embryos had an identifiable body shape and organs. This miracle of modern science, posted in a You-Tube video, garnered a mere 9,400 views.In 2016, scientists developed the "right cocktail of growth factors and nourishment" and were able to incubate human embryos in a dish. The embryos attached to the dish "as if it were a uterus, sprouting a few placental cells." The researchers halted the experiment due to the 4,000-member International Society for Stem Cell Research's 14-day rule. ISSCR arrived at this limit based on the point in time at which the nervous system begins to develop.
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