Artificial womb

Common card · No. 211085

An artificial womb or artificial uterus is a device that allows for extracorporeal pregnancy, by growing a fetus outside the body of an organism that would normally carry the fetus to term. This can potentially be performed as a switch from a natural uterus to an artificial uterus, thereby moving the threshold of fetal viability to a much earlier stage of pregnancy. In this sense, it can be regarded as a neonatal incubator with very extended functions. It could also be used for the initiation of fetal development. An artificial uterus could also help make fetal surgery procedures at an early stage an option instead of having to postpone them until term of pregnancy. An artificial uterus or incubator can also serve as a tool for wildlife conservation and de-extinction by eliminating the need for surrogate animals and mass-increasing numbers for critically endangered species such as the sand tiger shark. In addition, some recently extinct species can only be conceived through an artificial...

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