4 ms·

While this is amazing and I'm certain it's going to save a number of lives.. Does anyone else get the sense that we're going to start seeing "farms" full of the

While this is amazing and I'm certain it's going to save a number of lives.. Does anyone else get the sense that we're going to start seeing "farms" full of these bags in an effort to save time / money / stress on cows and sheep?

jacquesm 10y ago
Or not to need cows and sheep any more for the reproductive part at all.
- slobotron 10y ago
  Milk comes from cows that would otherwise nurse their calfs, so you need to get them pregnant anyways. At least that is my understanding...
  - deleted 10y ago
    [deleted]
jawns 10y ago
Remember that this technology does not cover the full gestation period. It only works starting at the edge of viability. In order for an extremely premature lamb to end up in one of these bags, either preterm birth must be induced, or surgery must take place. Neither of those options is low-cost or without the potential for significant complications. You would likely end up with high rates of mortality and morbidity, and even if the BioBags were able to successfully sustain the animals, they would probably never be considered suitable for anything other than research. There may come a day when a BioBag is able to cover the full gestation period, but even then, I highly doubt that it would be cheap enough for use with livestock.
- cr0sh 10y ago
  This kind of research has been going on for quite a while: http://www.nytimes.com/1996/09/29/magazine/the-artificial-womb-is-born.html http://www.nytimes.com/1996/09/29/magazine/the-artificial-wo... http://www.hcs.harvard.edu/~hsr/wp-content/themes/hsr/pdf/fall2008/35-39%20ArtificialWombs.pdf http://www.hcs.harvard.edu/~hsr/wp-content/themes/hsr/pdf/fa... Not discounting what you are saying; just wanted to add some more context...
- mikeyouse 10y ago
  Maybe my imagination it too dystopian today but I'm imagining artificial insemination to get a dozen lambs gestating and then you could C-section (or slaughter) the ewe after a few months.. That would take you from 1-2 lambs every 2 years to a dozen lambs in year 1.
  - BronSteeDiam 10y ago
    That's basically how you get mice embryos at the moment. There are several companies that provide this service.
Mizza 10y ago
You've missed the real prize here - forget cows and sheep. Think humans. This is the ultimate feminist technology.
- jessriedel 10y ago
  It's complicated in the medium-term, at least in the US, isn't it? It would potentially lower the age for viability, and hence extend the time period during which states can regulate abortion.
- ksenzee 10y ago
  Calling this "feminist" is grotesque. This is about saving babies that are already being born too early and might otherwise die. There's nothing feminist about skipping a few weeks of late-term pregnancy. (In the ideal feminist world, no woman would be pregnant unless she wanted to be, anyway.)

jacquesm 10y ago

Or not to need cows and sheep any more for the reproductive part at all.

slobotron 10y ago
Milk comes from cows that would otherwise nurse their calfs, so you need to get them pregnant anyways. At least that is my understanding...
- deleted 10y ago
  [deleted]

jawns 10y ago

Remember that this technology does not cover the full gestation period. It only works starting at the edge of viability. In order for an extremely premature lamb to end up in one of these bags, either preterm birth must be induced, or surgery must take place. Neither of those options is low-cost or without the potential for significant complications. You would likely end up with high rates of mortality and morbidity, and even if the BioBags were able to successfully sustain the animals, they would probably never be considered suitable for anything other than research. There may come a day when a BioBag is able to cover the full gestation period, but even then, I highly doubt that it would be cheap enough for use with livestock.

cr0sh 10y ago
This kind of research has been going on for quite a while: http://www.nytimes.com/1996/09/29/magazine/the-artificial-womb-is-born.html http://www.nytimes.com/1996/09/29/magazine/the-artificial-wo... http://www.hcs.harvard.edu/~hsr/wp-content/themes/hsr/pdf/fall2008/35-39%20ArtificialWombs.pdf http://www.hcs.harvard.edu/~hsr/wp-content/themes/hsr/pdf/fa... Not discounting what you are saying; just wanted to add some more context...
mikeyouse 10y ago
Maybe my imagination it too dystopian today but I'm imagining artificial insemination to get a dozen lambs gestating and then you could C-section (or slaughter) the ewe after a few months.. That would take you from 1-2 lambs every 2 years to a dozen lambs in year 1.
- BronSteeDiam 10y ago
  That's basically how you get mice embryos at the moment. There are several companies that provide this service.

Mizza 10y ago

You've missed the real prize here - forget cows and sheep. Think humans. This is the ultimate feminist technology.

jessriedel 10y ago
It's complicated in the medium-term, at least in the US, isn't it? It would potentially lower the age for viability, and hence extend the time period during which states can regulate abortion.
ksenzee 10y ago
Calling this "feminist" is grotesque. This is about saving babies that are already being born too early and might otherwise die. There's nothing feminist about skipping a few weeks of late-term pregnancy. (In the ideal feminist world, no woman would be pregnant unless she wanted to be, anyway.)