For years scientists have worked on creating a chimera, an organism that contains cells from two different species. They have succeeded in creating one between humans and pigs. Scientists believe this makes growing organs inside animals for organ transplants a possibility.

Over 100,000 people are put on the waiting list to receive organs from donors, but many of them die because not enough people are organ donors. Scientists believe that this human-pig embryo is a step towards saving the lives of these people. There is a catch, though; the embryo didn’t develop properly, and if it had, the body of the receiver might have rejected it due to the organ containing things like pig protein. This would cause the person to be put back on the waiting list. In the future, this may be fixed, but as of right now, the technology is in its infancy.

It’s fun to think what these chimeras would look like; half-human, half-pig? But that is just science fiction. The pigs would look like any normal pig, but their organs would be different.

There are some people who oppose the use of this practice. Animal rights activists claim that it is unethical to create a pig for the sole purpose of harvesting its organs. There are also people who might not want an organ that has been part of a pig. However, if pigs are already being used as a source of food, who’s to say they couldn’t be used for other purposes as well? There are many people in need of organs who this could benefit.