Melbourne scientists create first artificial human embryo out of skin cells.
By Sky News
Scientists in Melbourne have made a major scientific breakthrough in the field of embryology after creating a human embryo without an egg or sperm, leading to serious ethical questions.
Researchers were able to develop artificial human embryos with ordinary human skin cells which were reprogrammed to imitate the first few days of life.
The discovery was made by accident and researchers from Monash University have taken pains to say they have not created life.
It is hoped the research will pave the way for further breakthroughs in the field of fertility treatments.
The embryos have not been allowed to develop past 11 days and scientists say it is unlikely they would survive for much longer.
The world-leading discovery leads to questions about the status of the artificial embryos, what experiments can be ethically conducted on them and whether this could lead to complete artificially engineered human embryos and human cloning.
