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Embryos that are less than 0.001% human - and the rest pig - have been made and analysed by scientists.
It is the first proof chimeras - named after the mythical lion-goat-serpent monster - can be made by combining material from humans and animals.
However, the scientific report in the journal Cell [open, DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2016.12.036] [DX] shows the process is challenging and the aim of growing human organs in animals is distant.
It was described as an "exciting publication" by other researchers.
To create a chimera, human stem cells - the type that can develop into any tissue - are injected into a pig embryo.
The embryo - now a mix of human and pig - is then implanted into a sow for up to one month.
The process appears very inefficient - of the 2,075 embryos implanted only 186 continued to develop up to the 28-day stage.
Human-pig 'chimera embryos' detailed
(Score: 1) by corey on Friday January 27 2017, @10:00PM
They should be making humans with a bit of spider DNA!