US creates human-pig hybrid embryos.

Scientists in California have implanted human cells into pigs, creating a type of embryo called a chimera – a hybrid between pig and human.

RT reports that this is a groundbreaking study by the Salk Institute for Biological Research in La Jolla, California, USA, aiming to crossbreed a new organism from two large and relatively unrelated species.

Human cells are implanted into pig embryos. Photo: BBC

"The ultimate goal is to grow tissue or organs that can be transplanted, but we are still a long way from achieving that," said Juan Carlos Izpisua Belmonte, head of the project.

According to this project, human cells were implanted into early-stage pig embryos. Of the 2075 embryos implanted, only 186 developed into 'monster' chimeras. (Chimera is the name of a mythical creature, half lion, half goat, humanoid).

Human cells are green. Photo: BBC

According to the BBC, only 0.001% of the chimera's body is human, the rest is from pigs.

Normal pigs have a gestation period of 112 days, but chimera embryos are only nurtured for 28 days before being removed for research.

Scientists said that, at the time, these embryos were developed enough to be used for research into how cells blend together, 'without raising ethical questions about the resulting hybrids'.

Chimera embryos - pigs carrying human cells. Photo: RT.

The gestation period for pigs lasts only 4 months, compared to 9 months and 10 days for humans. This fact causes the cells of the two species to develop at two different rates, posing a challenge for future experiments on chimera hybrids.

Although the development of a complete human-pig hybrid is still a long way off, a chimera carrying human cells could be used to study human diseases and differences in body organs between different species.

According to VNN