International team creates first chimeric human-monkey embryos

A team of scientists from the U.S., China, and Spain reported Thursday they have created the first embryos that were part human and part monkey and kept them alive for up to 20 days in laboratory dishes.

The ethically controversial creation of chimeras — containing cells from multiple species — is part of a drive to make experimental models to help scientists better understand early development, devise new treatments for human disease, and possibly find methods to grow organs for transplant inside other animals, such as pigs or sheep. Such chimeras can be used in experiments that can’t be done with human embryos, for example, but combining human cells with those of primates ushers in new and urgent ethical concerns.

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