embryonic stem cells

A dozen organisms designed by artificial intelligence known as xenobots (C-shaped; beige) beside loose frog stem cells (white).

Science

Living robots made in a lab have found a new way to self-replicate, researchers say

1:29pm December 01, 2021

by Scott Neuman

Xenobots, a type of programmable organism made from frog cells, can replicate by spontaneously sweeping up loose stem cells, researchers say. This could have implications for regenerative medicine.

Jun Wu's team at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas have created hollow balls of cells that closely resemble embryos at the stage when they usually implant in the womb — known as blastocysts. The new laboratory-made embryo-lik

Health & Safety

Scientists Create Living Entities In The Lab That Closely Resemble Human Embryos

7:17pm March 17, 2021

by Rob Stein

These structures made from living human cells are similar to human embryos at the stage when they implant in the womb. They allow scientists to research new ways to treat infertility.

Queue Listen Now

These human embryo-like structures (top) were synthesized from human stem cells; they've been stained to illustrate different cell types. Images (bottom) of the "embryoids" in the new device that was invented to make them.

Scientists Create A Device That Can Mass-Produce Human Embryoids

5:15pm September 11, 2019

by Rob Stein

Researchers hope large numbers of very primitive, embryo-like structures will lead to new insights into early human development and ways to prevent miscarriages and birth defects.

Queue Listen Now

Using embryonic stem cells, researchers created a structure that mimics the earliest stages of human development in the womb. This image shows the structure breaking the symmetry of the sphere, which starts the development of more complex structures that

Scientists Make Model Embryos From Stem Cells To Study Key Steps In Human Development

10:35pm July 01, 2019

by Rob Stein

Researchers hope these "embryoids" could provide crucial new insights into how to treat infertility and prevent miscarriages, birth defects and many diseases. But they stir ethical concerns.

Queue Listen Now

Keeper Zachariah Mutai attends in March to Fatu, one of only two female northern white rhinos left in the world, in the pen where she is kept for observation, at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Laikipia county in Kenya. Scientists have successfully grown hyb

Science

Scientists Hope Lab-Grown Embryos Can Save Rhino Species From Extinction

6:12pm July 04, 2018

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

Only two northern white rhinos remain, and they're both female. But researchers said Wednesday that they successfully have created embryos using sperm collected from the males before they died out.

Queue Listen Now

A human embryo kept alive in the lab for 12 days begins to show signs of early development. The green cells seen here in the center would go on to form the body. This embryo is in the process of twinning, forming two small spheres out of one.

Embryo Experiments Reveal Earliest Human Development, But Stir Ethical Debate

11:15am March 02, 2017

by Rob Stein

Researchers who study developing human embryos have long limited their experimentation to lab embryos that are no more than 14 days into development. Some scientists are now pushing that boundary.

Queue Listen Now

Four sheep cloned from the same genetic material as Dolly roam the paddocks in Nottingham, England.

'Sister Clones' Of Dolly The Sheep Are Alive And Kicking

6:13pm July 26, 2016

by Rae Ellen Bichell

Dolly, the first cloned mammal, had early arthritis and died young, raising concerns that clones age prematurely. But a study confirms the sheep's four sister clones are healthy and aging well.

Queue Listen Now

Ken (left) and Henry were created using DNA plucked from a skin cell of Melvin, the beloved pet of Paula and Phillip Dupont of Lafayette, La.

Cloning Your Dog, For A Mere $100,000

6:56pm October 06, 2015

by Rob Stein

The Duponts in Louisiana loved their mutt Melvin so much they jumped at the chance to replicate him. Melvin is gone now, but he has left behind two clones, Ken and Henry.

Queue Listen Now

Research On Fetal Tissue Draws Renewed Political, Scientific Scrutiny

11:26am September 30, 2015

by Rob Stein

Critics say research on fetal tissue is no longer needed to answer crucial medical questions. But National Institutes of Health officials and other scientists say alternatives don't yet measure up.

Queue Listen Now

A scientist removes the nucleus from a human egg using a pipette. This is the first step to making personalized embryonic stem cells.

Scientists Clone Human Embryos To Make Stem Cells

11:57am May 16, 2013

The achievement is a long-sought step toward harnessing the potential power of such cells to treat diseases. But the discovery raises ethical concerns because it brings researchers closer to cloning humans.

Queue Listen Now