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Race for the first artificial embryos

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Race for the first artificial embryos

Status: 06/26/2023 06:31 AM

“The first artificially created human embryo” – at first there was nothing more than a headline. But more backgrounds are now known. And they raise big ethical questions.

It was only a matter of time: Just a year ago, two competing research groups succeeded in creating artificial mouse embryos. Transferring this technology to human cells was the next logical step. The only question was: who would succeed first? A veritable race has broken out in biomedical research.

At a conference in Boston, American developmental biologist Magdalena Zernica-Goetz explained that she and her team had done just that: They had created a model of the human embryo from stem cells. There was no verifiable data yet, but after the media reported it, the public excitement was great.

competing teams Publish data

A few days later, a rival team from Israel uploaded such teams Results on a prepress server High: They also transferred their mouse findings into human cells and produced embryo-like structures. Other international groups followed, and eventually that too was published US team data.

Even if none of the published studies have been reviewed by independent experts, the experts are talking about a breakthrough.

Stem cells instead of fertilized egg cells

In order to create the model embryos, the researchers didn’t need an egg cell, sperm, or fertilization. Instead, they manipulated human cells in the lab so that they regressed — into so-called stem cells. A variety of cell types can then emerge from these primary cells. And: Stem cells can be induced to form an embryo in the laboratory. Or at least something that closely resembles a real 13- to 14-day-old human embryo.

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Michelle Poigny describes this progress as a „radical turning point”. He is the head of the working group „Mouse Embryology” at the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine in Münster. Because: „For the first time in research, egg cells are no longer needed to develop human embryos in the laboratory.” But is what was actually created an embryo? This is now under discussion.

Embryos are more strictly protected than stem cells

Because in Germany it is forbidden to conduct research on embryos. According to the law, an embryo is created by definition from a fertilized egg cell. So the artificial embryos would not be blocked from stem cells. So the researchers call them embryonic models, or embryo-like structures, in their publications.

But in addition to the linguistic, there are also ethical challenges related to science and society. Are artificial embryos less protective than extra embryos resulting from fertility treatment, for example? ”

Nils Hoppe and Sarah Rutger of the Center for Ethics and Law in the Life Sciences at Hannover University pose this question in a joint statement. „We will have to reorient ourselves socially again.” The German embryo protection law does not keep pace with scientific progress, so it must be completely replaced by a new, more modern law.

The field of research in reproduction

But scientific progress also gives hope. Because there is still so much that is not known about human reproduction. And it’s surprisingly ineffective. About 60 percent of pregnancies are already lost in the first two weeks after fertilization, and pregnant women often don’t realize this.

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Relatively little is known about the reasons for this. This is also due to the strict rules for searching for human fetuses. This is where artificial embryo models can be used.

I wish for Basic research

Jesse Venfleet, head of the Stem Cell Genesis Working Group at the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics (CBG) in Dresden, sees great potential: „The similarity in terms of cellular structure, architecture and organization is incredible.” Many important milestones in early human development will be passed.

But not all of them: „In particular, embryo-like structures don’t go through the blastocyst stage — the stage when a normal embryo implants itself in the uterus.” It is not yet known to what extent this will affect the developmental potential of the embryo-like structures, that is, whether they are capable of producing a healthy, fully formed embryo, Feinfleet says.

The embryo models presented will provide a unique opportunity to learn more about human pregnancies and why they often fail at crucial stages. „But it is important to understand both the similarities and differences between an embryo and its model.”

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Supreme Court Justice Alito causes a stir with his knowledge

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Supreme Court Justice Alito causes a stir with his knowledge
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Trump fans are using the upside-down American flag to cast doubt on Biden’s election victory. It can also be seen in front of the judge’s house.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Conservative Justice Samuel Alito of the U.S. Supreme Court is in trouble. After Donald Trump’s election defeat in 2020, an upside-down American flag was apparently hung in front of his house – a popular symbol among Trump supporters to cast doubt on US President Joe Biden’s election victory.

Report from The New York Times According to the report, the flag was raised in front of Alito’s home in Alexandria, Virginia, on January 17, 2021. The newspaper wrote this, citing statements and photos from the judge’s neighbors. However, the accused denies having anything to do with the matter. “I was in no way involved in raising the flag,” Alito said in an emailed statement to the newspaper. Instead, according to the judge, his wife raised the upside-down flag. But not just „in response to a neighbor’s use of offensive and personally insulting language on yard signs.”

A pro-Trump symbol in front of the judge’s house? Allegations against Supreme Court judges

The matter is explosive because the upside-down American flag was a symbol of Trump supporters who falsely claimed in the wake of the recent election that President Biden stole the office. During the storming of the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. on January 6, 2021, the upside-down flag was also raised several times by rioters. Biden’s inauguration was just three days away at this point. Just eleven days later, a Trump supporter’s slogan flew over the lawn of a top federal judge.

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In this context, it is the duty of such an official to ensure that no misunderstandings occur, as do legal and ethicists. The New York Times He confirmed the opposite. Even the appearance of bias should be avoided, otherwise the impartiality of the judge may be called into question. The mere impression of a political opinion can be a problem. “It could be his wife or someone else living in his house, but it shouldn’t be in his yard as a message to the world,” law professor Amanda Frost said in the report.

Donald Trump shakes hands with Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito (from left) during his term. © Yuri Grybas via www.imago-images.de

Wife in neighborhood dispute – Commitment to Donald Trump despite being a judge?

Raising that license plate, Frost continued, „is the equivalent of putting up a 'Stop the Steal’ sign in the yard.” This slogan – in German „Stop the steal” – was the slogan of those people who stormed the Capitol for their former president. According to the legal expert, the matter becomes a problem at the latest when it comes to the property of the judge who decides “cases related to the elections.” While the flag was raised, the court was still grappling with the question of whether allegations of voter fraud in the 2020 US election should be investigated. Alito argued in favor of hearing the arguments, but was ultimately on the losing side.

In fact, according to the article, interviews with residents revealed that the justice’s wife, Martha Ann Alito, had gotten into a fight with another family in the neighborhood over an anti-Trump sign on their lawn. However, given the timing and strong meaning of the symbol, the upside-down flag could have been interpreted by neighbors primarily as a political statement by the couple.

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Political labels taboo on Supreme Court: Is Trump’s judge unfit for office?

The Code of Ethics applicable to lower courts in the United States, as well as the Code of Ethics recently adopted by the Supreme Court, emphasize the need for judges to remain independent. Political statements or opinions on matters that may be brought before them should be avoided. Court officials are not permitted to publicly express their partisan political opinions. This also includes attaching signs or vehicle stickers.

For Take Back the Court, a group that opposes the conservative path the court has taken in recent years, this is evidence that Alito does not belong on the court. “Sam Alito has disqualified himself from legitimately serving on the Supreme Court,” Sarah Lipton Lubit, the group’s president, said, according to the website. HuffPost In the current situation. Perhaps there is nothing like raising the middle finger to the American people than “proudly displaying, in your front yard, the remains of a failed coup attempt against the country you were supposed to serve.” (Tn)

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NATO is about to send soldiers to Ukraine

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NATO is about to send soldiers to Ukraine

NATO is one a report According to the New York Times (NYT), it appears close to sending troops to Ukraine. These forces aim to train Ukrainian soldiers. According to the American newspaper, this step would drag the United States and Europe deeper into the conflict.

There is a shortage of soldiers in the Ukrainian army, and there appears to be no end in sight to the war. Russia invades the lands. The question is how long Ukraine can survive in the face of a union with about 3.5 times the population.

That’s why Ukrainian officials have reportedly asked the United States and NATO members to bring 150,000 new recruits to the front line to make them operational more quickly — and some Ukrainian forces are now scheduled to be trained in Germany, among other places.

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The White House had previously repeatedly confirmed that it would not deploy American forces, including trainers, on Ukrainian territory. This is a position that was repeated by a government official on Thursday. The newspaper wrote that in this case, America could be drawn into a deeper war.

America is against sending troops: but for how long?

The US government called on NATO allies not to send their forces. As part of NATO, the United States would be bound by NATO treaty to help defend against any attack on the trainers.

The New York Times wrote that the United States has not yet agreed to this. However, Gen. Charles Brown Jr., chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, claimed on Thursday that NATO’s deployment of trainers seemed inevitable. “We will get there with time,” he added.

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The idea of ​​sending troops to Ukraine has been around for a long time. In Europe, French President Emmanuel Macron in particular has called for Europe to be more directly involved in the war in Ukraine. Just this week, the Estonian government also did not rule out sending troops to western Ukraine.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky: Is NATO now sending troops?Bestemage/Imago

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis supported Emmanuel Macron’s position in one of the positions interview With the Guardian last week. “Our forces have already received training before the war in Ukraine,” he said, adding: “So it may be possible to return to this tradition.”

US forces have already trained Ukrainian forces in Poland, Germany and the United States. The United States had previously supported a NATO training program at Gavoriv in western Ukraine, but American forces withdrew from there early in the war.

“US officials now realize that current training by Ukrainian forces is inadequate, and that they need better and faster training to confront the expected Russian attack this summer,” the New York Times wrote.

Training courses abroad were not always successful, the Times wrote, citing as an example training on German soil in maneuver warfare, mine-clearing and other military tasks. However, it is said that such extensive training was rather difficult over a period of twelve weeks.

Ukrainian forces are scheduled to be trained in Germany

Now, large groups of new Ukrainian recruits could be sent to Germany and Poland for training purposes, the New York Times wrote, citing anonymous officials. Accordingly, the troops should be sent to the US Army training facilities in Grafenwoehr (Bavaria). There they will be taught „combined arms warfare.”

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The troops will then be sent approximately 1,600 kilometers to Lviv and then to Kiev to reach the front lines. She added that Germany, Britain and France are currently working to locate defense companies in Ukraine to help build and repair weapons systems near the combat zone.


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Gaza War: Israeli generals train for intifada against Netanyahu

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Gaza War: Israeli generals train for intifada against Netanyahu

HIt doesn’t look good in war when a country’s defense minister gives his prime minister an ultimatum. “I call on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to make a decision,” Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant said in a press conference on Wednesday.

He added that Netanyahu must “announce that Israel will not take civilian control of the Gaza Strip, that Israel will not establish a military government in the Gaza Strip, and that an alternative administration to the Hamas administration in the Gaza Strip will be formed immediately.” Gallant, Netanyahu belongs to the Likud Party.

Galant said that „the day after Hamas” can only be achieved if Palestinian bodies take control of Gaza, accompanied by international actors, in reference to the Palestinian Authority and moderate Arab countries.

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According to the Minister of Defense, he has been urging the Prime Minister for months to present a scenario for the period after the military operation in Gaza. But because of his hesitation, Israel’s military successes are once again at stake: „Hesitation in making a decision ultimately means making a decision.”

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Six months after the mass killing of Israelis by the Hamas terrorist militia and the start of the subsequent Israeli military operation in the Gaza Strip, the tone between the country’s military leadership and Netanyahu’s government has become noticeably harsher. Gallant’s ultimatum was the strongest expression yet of growing opposition among the generals to the lack of leadership in the Jewish state’s political leadership.

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Northern Gaza Strip is out of control

Last weekend, the military leadership had already played a grudge against Netanyahu to the media — with the same tenor: If the prime minister does not soon present a plausible scenario for Israel’s war goals, what Israel has achieved so far risks being destroyed. Lost.

Evidence of the officers’ fears can be found in daily reports from the front. Although Israel announced months ago that it had militarily taken control of the northern Gaza Strip, new clashes with Hamas are still erupting there.

Is it perhaps because a reporter asked military spokesman Daniel Hagari earlier this week that Israel has not created a post-war order in the north? Hajari responded: There is no doubt that the presence of an alternative administration to the Hamas administration would increase the pressure on Hamas. But this is a question directed to the political leadership.”

DWO_AP_Gaza_170524

Source: OpenStreetMap; The world of infographics

In fact, the solution Gallant outlined in his press conference has been around since at least November of last year. At the time, American, Arab and European representatives, as well as members of Israeli security circles, told WELT AM SONNTAG that the Palestinian Authority would take over the administration of the Gaza Strip and an international protection force with the participation of Western-oriented forces. The Arab countries were in the process of preparation.

But Netanyahu still does not want to make any commitment. The Prime Minister continues to say what he does not want. Shortly after Gallant’s press conference, Netanyahu was released Video about SMS service. Netanyahu says, looking annoyed: “I am not ready to replace Fatehistan with Hamastan.”

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He refers to the secular Palestinian organization Fatah, the leading force in the Palestinian Authority, which lost power in Gaza to Hamas, but still bears responsibilities in the West Bank.

Israeli soldiers in Gaza in mid-May

Israeli soldiers in Gaza in mid-May

Source: Agence France-Presse

The body was established when Israel concluded the Oslo Peace Accords with Fatah leader Yasser Arafat in the early 1990s. Since then, she has been considered the legitimate representative of the Palestinians. “The Palestinian Authority supports terrorism, teaches terrorism, and finances terrorism,” Netanyahu responds to Gallant in the video, even though the Authority generally cooperates with Israel on security issues.

“The basic condition for handing over Gaza to another actor is the destruction of Hamas, without condition or condition.” This is how Netanyahu’s video ends after only 48 seconds, without the Prime Minister explaining who the „other perpetrator” is.

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Children play with toy guns in front of the house of a well-known militia leader in Nablus

The fact that Netanyahu avoided making a decision is down to his coalition partners. The majority of his government is very narrow and the Prime Minister relies on the parties of the settler movement and its leaders Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir.

But they are increasingly openly calling for Jewish settlement in the Gaza Strip and the alleged voluntary migration of Palestinians from there. Ben Gvir, who holds the position of Minister of Public Security, confirmed this on Wednesday evening. “Tell them: Go home, go to your countries! This is ours now and forever!”

But neither Israel’s allies nor the Israeli people, for whom opinion polls show a clear majority against the reoccupation of the Gaza Strip, support such a plan. The Israeli army had tried unsuccessfully to control the coastal strip for decades until its withdrawal in 2005. The army would not want to undertake such a bloody mission again.

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In order to view embedded content, it is necessary to obtain your revocable consent to the transfer and processing of personal data, as providers of embedded content require this consent as third-party service providers. [In diesem Zusammenhang können auch Nutzungsprofile (u.a. auf Basis von Cookie-IDs) gebildet und angereichert werden, auch außerhalb des EWR]. By setting the switch to „On”, you agree to this (revocable at any time). This also includes your consent to the transfer of certain personal data to third countries, including the USA, in accordance with Article 49(1)(a) of the GDPR. You can find more information about this. You can revoke your consent at any time using the key and privacy at the bottom of the page.

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