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Genes that are thought to play a role in how the SARS-CoV-2 virus infects our cells have been found to be active in embryos as early as during the second week of pregnancy, say scientists at the ̽»¨Ö±²¥ of Cambridge and the California Institute of Technology (Caltech).

A team of scientists at the ̽»¨Ö±²¥ of Cambridge has developed an artificial mouse embryo-like structure capable of forming the three major axes of the body. ̽»¨Ö±²¥technique, reported today in the journal Nature, could reduce the use of mammalian embryos in research.

̽»¨Ö±²¥creation of artificial embryos has moved a step forward after an international team of researchers used mouse stem cells to produce artificial embryo-like structures capable of ‘gastrulation’, a key step in the life of any embryo.

Latest findings support the theory that teeth in the animal kingdom evolved from the jagged scales of ancient fish, the remnants of which can be seen today embedded in the skin of sharks and skate. 

Smoking, lack of exercise, bad diet and our genes are all well-known risk factors for heart disease, cancer and diabetes. But, as researchers are beginning to understand, the environment in the womb as we first begin to grow may also determine our future.

How difficult is it to conceive? According to a widely-held view, fewer than one in three embryos make it to term, but a new study from a researcher at the ̽»¨Ö±²¥ of Cambridge suggests that human embryos are not as susceptible to dying in the first weeks after fertilisation as often claimed.

Scientists have shown how the precursors of egg and sperm cells – the cells that are key to the preservation of a species – arise in the early embryo by studying pig embryos alongside human stem cells. 

Scientists at the ̽»¨Ö±²¥ of Cambridge have succeeded in growing miniature functional models of the lining of the womb (uterus) in culture. These organoids, as they are known, could provide new insights into the early stages of pregnancy and conditions such as endometriosis, a painful condition that affects as many as two million women in the UK.

Fish embryo study indicates that the last common ancestor of vertebrates was a complex animal complete with gills – overturning prior scientific understanding and complementing recent fossil finds. ̽»¨Ö±²¥work places gill evolution concurrent with shift to self-propulsion in our earliest ancestors.

Abnormal cells in the early embryo are not necessarily a sign that a baby will be born with a birth defect such as Down’s syndrome, suggests new research carried out in mice at the ̽»¨Ö±²¥ of Cambridge. In a study published today in the journal Nature Communications, scientists show that abnormal cells are eliminated and replaced by healthy cells, repairing – and in some cases completely fixing – the embryo.