I have always thought that scientists are real wizards in real life because they make possible what until recently belonged only to science fiction. I was once again convinced of this by researchers employed at the Churaumi Aquarium in Okinawa who – watch out now – created an artificial womb that allows prematurely born sharks to develop to full term.
We are talking about thin-tailed lantern sharks, small predators that inhabit parts of the Indian Ocean. These mysterious sharks, only 46 cm long, live at great depths and glow in the dark, and many species of lantern sharks are still not sufficiently researched. However, it often happens that these sharks are accidentally caught in a net, and conscientious fishermen try to return them to the ocean or take care of them as soon as possible in one of the aquariums.
That’s how the aquarium in Okinawa came into possession of thin-tailed lantern sharks, and what they noticed is that the cubs in the mother’s womb remain alive for some time even if the mother has died. Namely, these species are ovoviviparous, which means that the female shark gives birth to live young instead of laying eggs. However, if the cub is born prematurely, its inability to regulate the level of salt in the body in contact with seawater leads to death in just a few hours.
To help premature babies develop to full term, Japanese scientists have developed an artificial womb that mimics the conditions in the mother’s womb.
In his scientific work, published in the journal Frontiers in Fish Science, the researchers explain how they achieved conditions similar to those in the womb of a female – they filtered the water in specially made tanks to enrich it with oxygen, and disinfected it with the help of UV light.
However, despite these efforts, the experiments were accompanied by high embryo mortality, which prompted scientists to look for the cause. Although the embryos would fully develop, death occurred shortly after contact with salt water. Scientists have therefore approached the method of gradually mixing artificial amniotic fluid with salt water, in a similar way as a female thin-tailed lantern shark does when preparing to give birth.
The last attempt finally brought success! Of the 33 embryos, three survived and today, as adults, can be seen swimming happily in the Churaumi Aquarium in Okinawa.
This amazing experiment offers hope for the recovery of other endangered species that can only escape extinction with the help of science. Scientists have largely mastered the art of artificial insemination, and it seems that artificial wombs will further facilitate and speed up the repopulation of critically endangered species. And one more thing, progress in the development of artificial wombs represents an important step towards the creation of wombs for premature babies, which makes the experiment of Japanese scientists even more important.
Let’s hope that science will always be at the service of people and animals, as is the case here.
Milena Maglovski
Source: energetskiportal.rs
