Spanish scientists have created 132 human-ape embryos in China

In Researchers Developed in a laboratory in Spanish The Chinese 132 nuclei with both Genoa Humans and parts of the genome a Monkey. Scientists were able to create these three organisms in nineteen days, they explained in a study published Thursday in the journal Science Go. But he says their work has sparked controversy Country.

Scientists quoted The world He explained that they were afraid of a “transgression” and had seen a “blurring of boundaries” between human genes and different organisms. They reiterated the need to compare the risks taken with the potential benefits of such research. Other experts, for their part, have pointed to advances that would allow the experimentation of Spanish geneticists.

Growth stopped in 19 days

To reach their ends, the study authors used eggs from a type of macaque, fertilized by sperm from males of the species. After six days of culture in the laboratory, they obtained embryos containing 110 cells from the monkey. The researchers then introduced 25 human cells.

The latter were actually redesigned so that their growth could be blindly transformed into skin, muscles or organs. After 19 days, the Spaniards had a cimetric embryo, of which 7% of the cells were of human origin. The researchers stressed the potential science outlets of their work.

“These findings will help us better understand the early stages of human development and the evolution of animals,” they wrote. They also noted that the growth of symmetrical embryos stopped after 19 days “to the limit” [leur] Study of the early stages of symmetric embryonic development ”.