Headline Roundup • June 15th, 2023
Scientists Create First Synthetic Human 'Embryo Models'
Summary from the AllSides News Team
Researchers from the U.S. and the U.K. have created synthetic human “embryo models,” using embryonic stem cells instead of sperm or eggs.
The Details: Dr. Magdalena Żernicka-Goetz announced the breakthrough on Wednesday at a conference in Boston. “I just wish to stress that they are not human embryos,” Żernicka-Goetz told CNN (Lean Left bias), instead calling them “embryo models.” Her team and a rival Israeli team previously worked to develop synthetic mouse “embryoids.” The researchers hope their work will provide insight into the earliest stages of human development, including the origins of genetic disorders and miscarriages. Meanwhile, an Israeli scientist told The Times of Israel (Not Rated) his team had created a more advanced model human embryo months ago.
For Context: Several media voices highlighted potential ethical issues with creating anything similar to synthetic human embryos. Some noted the lack of a legal framework for synthetic human life and called for “clear boundaries” as science advanced. Others speculated that the model embryos could “revamp” our understanding of in vitro fertilization (IVF).
How the Media Covered It: Coverage was often sensationalized, with several headlines referring to the “embryo models” as embryos despite researchers’ insistence otherwise. Coverage from the right tended to be more critical; the New York Post (Lean Right bias) said the story was “sure to ignite furious ethical, legal and scientific debate,” and The Telegraph (Lean Right bias) highlighted a quote calling Żernicka-Goetz “irresponsible.” Coverage from some left-rated outlets instead focused on potential scientific discoveries from the embryo models.
Featured Coverage of this Story
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A team of researchers in the United States and United Kingdom say they have created the world’s first synthetic human embryo-like structures from stem cells, bypassing the need for eggs and sperm.
These embryo-like structures are at the very earliest stages of human development: They don’t have a beating heart or a brain, for example. But scientists say they could one day help advance the understanding of genetic diseases or the causes of miscarriages.
The research raises critical legal and ethical questions, and many countries, including the US, don’t have...
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Scientists have created the first synthetic human embryos - using no eggs or sperm - provoking deep ethical questions, according to reports.
The synthetic embryos - only days or weeks old - could help researchers study the earliest stages of human development and explain pregnancy loss.
Nobody is currently suggesting growing them into a baby.
But the rapid progress has outpaced discussions on how they should be dealt with ethically and legally.
Prof James Briscoe, from the Francis Crick Institute, said the field needed to "proceed cautiously, carefully and transparently"...
Getty Images
Oh, brave new world, that has such embryos in it.
In a dramatic scientific first, researchers have created synthetic human embryos without using sperm or an egg.
No one knows if these embryonic structures — created from stem cells — could develop into a viable living organism, or what that organism might be like.
But the breakthrough is sure to ignite furious ethical, legal and scientific debate.
The synthetic embryo models had primordial cells that could eventually develop into egg and sperm cells.
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