A video with lines of babies inside incubator capsules it went viral social networks in the past few days after being shared from the entertainment profile I shockedNo Chirping.
Despite being removed a few hours later, the material lingered in the air long enough for people to believe it was “the world’s first artificial womb installation,” which allegedly could incubate “up to 30,000 laboratory fetuses a year.” “.
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Indeed, according to the website huffpostfrom the UK, the video showcases the work of producer and director with a background in molecular biology Hashem Al-Ghaili, who, according to the description on his website, uses his “education in science and technology to develop new concepts” .
He talks about “imagining the future”, even though many confuse his films with real news. OR Digital look already talked about another creation of the science popularizer: a giant aircraft powered by nuclear energy, called Sky cruiseThings “a futuristic hotel above the clouds”.
In the viral video of artificial wombsa dummy installation called Ectolifewhich promises to be a solution for, for example, cancer patients who need to have their uterus removed.
According to the promotional material, in addition to reducing possible pregnancy complications, the platform would be a useful tool for countries with declining populations, such as Japan, Bulgaria and South Korea.
What science says about the artificial womb
Hashem says this technology already exists and could be commercially available in up to 10 years. For real?
For Professor Joyce Harper, head of the Reproductive Science and Society Group at the Institute for Women’s Health at University College London (UCL), we can’t wait. Your book titled Your fertile years (Your Fertile Years, in direct translation), has an entire chapter devoted to the future of reproduction.
“I have no doubt that, at some point, the most people will be produced by IVF (in vitro fertilization)🇧🇷 and that [EctoLife] that would be a possibility. In science, I think you should never say never,” she told HuffPost UK. “I remember watching Star Trek where they were video calling, and you know, I never thought I’d be video calling my kids on FaceTime.”
Emphasize that the first four weeks of pregnancy can actually be completed in an IVF lab (women are usually four weeks pregnant when an embryo is transferred). And now, premature babies can be cared for from around 21 weeks in an incubator within a neonatal unit.
“A pregnancy is normally 40 weeks, and more than half can now be done in the neonatal unit,” she says. So it’s actually less than 20 weeks [de tempo de gestação], which scientists need to figure out how to do it safely. It’s not that far away.”
Andrew Shennan, a professor of obstetrics at King’s College London, also thinks the video isn’t as far-fetched as one might think. “From a theoretical point of view, it’s possible,” he says of artificial wombs. “It’s just about providing the right environment with fuel and oxygen, and I think the technologies are there to achieve that.”
“From a theoretical point of view, it is possible”
Andrew Shennan
While the artificial womb itself isn’t much of a challenge, the early stages of development — when organs are forming, in the first 12 weeks — would be more difficult to navigate, Shennan believes.
She says that “there are all kinds of biochemical and immunological things going on that we probably don’t understand yet” regarding maternally transmitted antibodies. “That would require more research.”
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A fundamental thing that cannot be overlooked is the ethical question. Concept video Ectolife talks about offering an “elite package,” where your child can be “modified” to change their hair color, skin tone, physical strength, height, and intelligence level.
Professor Harper believes future generations will not see this as an ethical issue. While he personally thinks otherwise, he admits that the use of artificial wombs could reduce pregnancy complications and give male same-sex couples better reproductive choices, without the need for a supportive belly.
“I have no doubts that in the future we will have an artificial human womb, but for now there are many technical and social problems that we have to overcome”
Joyce Harper
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