WTF!!! Scientists create first chimeric human-monkey embryos which can survive up to 20 days

An international team of scientists based in China and the United States have successfully grown human-monkey chimeric embryos for up to 20 days, a world first, pushing the boundaries of both science and ethics simultaneously.

The research was led by gene expression expert Juan Carlos Izpisua Belmonte from the Salk Institute in California who, along with his team, implanted human stem cells into primate embryos which then grew for up to up to 20 days.

The macaque monkey embryos were injected with human extended pluripotent stem cells some six days after they were created. As the name suggests, these stem cells can yield multiple different types of tissue, both embryonic and non- or extra-embryonic tissues.

The human cells were detected in 132 of the chimera embryos 24 hours after implantation, while 103 of the chimeric embryos were still developing nine days later.

By day 19, the number of survivors had dropped to three, all of which boasted high percentages of human cells as they continued to grow. All of the embryos were destroyed within 20 days of their creation.

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