Fetal Tissue Research is Leading Straight Toward Human Cloning

The use of fetal cells in modern medicine and technology is an obscure field. Yet, there are profound moral, theological, and societal issues inherent in their use. Dr Rob starts off this series with a discussion of several new studies, one that took human skin cells and turned them into embryo-like structures, another that used sequencing data to recreate the development of the embryo, and a third where scientists grew mouse embryos in a test tube. He also outlines the biblical issues, clearly documenting the differences between human and non-human life.

Links and show notes

Privacy is Dead (Biblical Genetics, July 15, 2020)
Bizzotto et al. 2021 Landmarks of human embryonic development inscribed in somatic mutations. Science 371(6535):1249–1253; DOI: 10.1126/science.abe1544.
Fasching et al. 2021 Early developmental asymmetries in cell lineage trees in living individuals. Science 371(6535):1245–1248; DOI: 10.1126/science.abe0981.
Aguilera-Castrejon, A. et al. 2021. Ex utero mouse embryogenesis from pre-gastrulation to late organogenesis, Nature; DOI: 10.1038/s41586-021-03416-3.
Winter, L. 2021. Lab-grown mouse embryos form limbs and organs; the-scientist.com/news-opinion/lab-grown-mouse-embryos-form-limbs-and-organs-68565.
Mannix, L. 2021. Scientists create model embryos in lab, raising major ethical questions, smh.com.au/national/scientists-create-model-embryos-in-lab-raising-major-ethical-questions-20210317-p57bkc.html.
Genetic Engineering of Humans? (Biblical Genetics May 12, 2020)