Scientists create embryo using human stem cells; no sperm or eggs used

In one of the most advanced moves in the field of science and health, scientists have created a model human embryo with a heartbeat and traces of blood which provides an extraordinary window into the first weeks of life.

This embryo was formed without any eggs or sperm and was also not done by fertilisation. It was just created by using human stem cells and is a replica of some of the cells and structures that would typically appear in the third and fourth week of pregnancy. But it lacks the potential to form tissues which generally forms the placenta and yolk sac in a natural embryo, which means that it does not have the potential to develop into a foetus.

Also watch: Bridgerton fans it's not only you but even science says actor Rege-Jean Page is the most handsome

“I’d like to emphasise that these are neither embryos nor are we trying to make embryos actually,” Dr Jitesh Neupane, of the University of Cambridge’s Gurdon Institute, told the International Society for Stem Cell Research’s annual meeting in Boston on Saturday. “They are just models that could be used to look into specific aspects of human development.”
The latest embryo model, according to Neupane, shows some of the most advanced features till date; which includes the beating heart cells, which generally emerges in 23 days in naturally created embryo, and traces of red blood, which appears in the 4th week.

Dr Neupane told The Guardian, “I randomly took my plate under the microscope and when I saw the heartbeat for the first time I was scared, honestly. I had to look down and look back again.”

Also watch: Are men ready to use birth control pills? Latest study discloses