All articles tagged with #artificial wombs
Vardit Ravitsky, President of the Hastings Center, expressed support for the potential of artificial wombs to save babies in an NPR interview, while also raising ethical and legal concerns about their implications for reproductive rights and the possibility of rendering human wombs obsolete.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has discussed the possibility of testing artificial wombs in human trials, which could potentially help premature babies survive. An artificial womb is an environment that mimics the womb, providing nutrients and medications through lines and tubes attached to the baby's blood vessels. While this technology has only been tested in animals so far, experts believe it could be critical in saving the lives of premature babies. However, there are ethical considerations and complexities to resolve before human trials can be conducted, including the potential long-term consequences and redefining the viability of pregnancy. Despite the challenges, neonatologists see the potential of artificial wombs as groundbreaking in the field of neonatology.
SpaceBorn United, a company based in the Netherlands, is working on developing the first baby conceived and born in space. They have developed a miniaturized IVF and embryo incubator to address the challenges of reproduction in space, including radiation and gravity. The company aims to improve IVF treatments on Earth by conducting experiments in space at different gravity levels. They are also interested in the development of artificial wombs. While the timeline for achieving childbirth in space is uncertain, the company's launch is scheduled for 2025. The goal is to establish human settlements on Mars and other celestial bodies, and solving the reproduction challenge is crucial for their long-term success.
Ben Lamm, founder of de-extinction firm Colossal, aims to bring back extinct animals like the woolly mammoth, Tasmanian tiger, and dodo bird. His investors include Paris Hilton, Thomas Tull, and the Winklevoss twins, and he has already raised $75 million. Lamm believes de-extinction technology can be used to solve many problems, including climate change and conservation. He hopes to rewild the first woolly mammoth by 2028 and sees massive opportunities around carbon and biodiversity credits.