Synthetic human embryos created in groundbreaking advance

Scientists have created synthetic human embryos using stem cells, in a groundbreaking advance that sidesteps the need for eggs or sperm. Scientists say these model embryos, which resemble those in the earliest stages of human development, could provide a crucial window on the impact of genetic disorders and the biological causes of recurrent miscarriage. However, the work also raises serious ethical and legal issues as the lab-grown entities fall outside current legislation in the UK and most other countries.

tips

synthetic：合成物质；a. 人造的；合成的

stem：干；茎

embryo：胚胎

groundbreaking：开创性的（土地+打破）

sidestep：横跨过去，回避

sperm：精子

egg：卵子

resemble：相似的（semble- = alike，same，相似的，一样的）

crucial：决定性的，严厉的；至关重要的；关键性的

recurrent：复现的

miscarriage：误送；流产（carriage 运输）

ethical：伦理的（ethic 伦理的）

legislation：立法