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Comment by XorNot | Hacker News Reader

Really this is the question I'm interested in. Hopefully some animal models can be attempted in the near future.

Given that we're getting better at growing body parts from stem cells, you could easily imagine in the nearish future being able to gestate an embryo in a womb grown from an individuals own stem cells and enough attached organs to provide the full environment.

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This is a bit horrifying to me. Babies are quite familiar with their mothers' voices by the time they are born, among other influences; would we also attempt to artificially simulate that sort of pre-birth bonding?

Here, I'll crank it up a notch: instead of animal models, how about just gestating humans in animals? There is your artificial womb. It just requires a bit of anti-rejection drugs, or a bit of GMO effort for tissue similarity.

Whales have the right body temperature. There is enough room to do dozens of babies at once.

Cows are close enough. A cow can probably handle a half dozen babies.

Fortunately or unfortunately, neither cows nor whales are close enough.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interspecific_pregnancy#Causes...

They are close enough after "a bit of anti-rejection drugs, or a bit of GMO effort".

We can suppress the immune response, one way or another. If the animal is unable to clear the placenta after the birth, we lose the animal, but we still get a baby.

I presume that the children of mute mothers tend to turn out fine... but maybe not? Cursory search found nothing.

Baby's also bond to the sound of their mother's hearts, and yes, every baby carried by a woman with no heart beat is disadvantaged.

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