7/3/2026 at 2:03:45 AM
by gmays
7/6/2026 at 10:04:31 PM
Does anyone know why such a fundamental gene would have such different behaviours between mammals?> In previous mouse studies, loss of NANOG disrupted both the epiblast and the yolk sac - a tissue that supports the developing embryo. In this human embryo study, loss of NANOG primarily affected the epiblast, the future body-forming line of cells.
by MichaelZuo
7/6/2026 at 9:50:10 PM
> Using base editing, the researchers blocked a gene called NANOG in very early-stage human embryos, and found that the cells of the early embryo could not develop into more specialised pluripotent cells called the epiblast - which later form the body.Excuse me wtf. They manipulated the genes of a live human in such a way that it failed to develop its body (and presumably died)?? Genuinely repulsive how casually this is mentioned.
by Magicrafter13
7/6/2026 at 10:19:57 PM
Testing on early stage embryos is a thing yes. They have no brain, no heartbeat, feel no pain. Yes, they could potentially develop into a human being, but I wouldn't call it a live human yet. I understand your repulsion, but to other people it's no different than testing on sperm, eggs or other human tissues. And as the other guy said, these were discarded embryos from IVF, they would never become humans.by CorrectHorseBat
7/6/2026 at 10:13:42 PM
Wait, you think the evil scientists just yanked an embryo from someone's womb? Are you stupid?"The embryos, eggs and sperm used in the study were unused samples donated by couples who had undergone IVF treatment. Most donors had completed their family, and wanted their surplus embryos, eggs or sperm to be used for research.
The embryos were only cultured in the lab for up to six and a half days after fertilisation, and then allowed to perish."
by meindnoch
7/6/2026 at 10:05:47 PM
You're in for a real treat when you find out how we got organ transplantation.by forgetfreeman
7/6/2026 at 10:11:29 PM
OP probably thinks medicine and biotech magically manifest through divine inspiration.by Onavo
7/6/2026 at 9:56:55 PM
Agreed. The buying, selling, and experimenting on humans must stop.by jtbayly
7/6/2026 at 8:03:00 PM
I wonder what the regulations are for this sort of workby ape4
7/6/2026 at 9:15:10 PM
The short answer is the "14-day" rule, which doesn't allow development of the embryo beyond 14 days. The article gives specifics under the heading "Ethical and legal compliance"by kens
7/6/2026 at 8:40:11 PM
In the US it's legal-sorta but the NIH can't fund it and the FDA is not allowed to approve treatments based on it. So someone could do it in a research setting but there's not a pathway to market in the US (in practice people will do the first ones in a friendly legal climate like Peru).by bpodgursky
7/6/2026 at 9:46:19 PM
> In the US it's legal-sorta but the NIH can't fund it and the FDA is not allowed to approve treatments based on itWhat references are you following? Haven't heard this before.
by bonsai_spool
7/6/2026 at 10:13:00 PM
> the FDA is not allowed to approve treatments based on itUnless you live in the Whitehouse.
by Onavo