Recent breakthroughs in stem-cell have raised the prospect of one day "breeding" humans and growing organs in a lab. How realistic are these scenarios? Netflix just released an embarrassing miniseries about the opioid epidemic. Let's take a closer look at the show's claims.
Join hosts Cameron English, Dr. Chuck Dinerstein and special guest Barbara Billauer as they break down these stories on Episode 48 of the Science Dispatch podcast:
A synthetic embryo can now be constructed from very early pre-embryonic cells – without the need for an egg or sperm. These were initially created in mice. In April, Chinese researchers created synthetic monkey embryos. Last month, the first synthetic human models were reportedly created. This development throws a moral monkey-wrench into the current moratoria on embryonic research after 14 days. But there are more problems ahead.
"Painkiller" is a textbook example of a show clearly meant to sway public perceptions on a critical public health issue — even if that means lying to viewers along the way.
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