Facts of Life

The New Facts of Life

Join science journalist Marnie Chesterton in this four-part series, as she talks to Dr Naomi Moris from The Francis Crick Institute, and Professor Emily Jackson, expert in medical law at the London School of Economics.

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Episode 1

Opening the Black Box

How does new life go from a ball of cells to a structure that's recognisably human? We don't know. Scientists hope to find out using embryo models, with potentially game-changing results for the future of pregnancy. This first episode delves into the latest science and asks questions about how far we're willing to go.

Episode 2

How to Make a Baby: The Sequel

Up till now new life began with eggs made in the ovaries, precious and finite. But what if eggs - and sperm - could be created another way altogether? Hear about the fertility breakthrough underway thanks to stem cell research, and the questions this raises about how to regulate such new technology.

Episode 3

A New Kidney to Order

Within the next century it could be possible to request a new organ from our own cells as easily as ordering a new kitchen. How do scientists think we might get to a future like this, and what are the big ethical decisions that will help set the path there? Dive into the fascinating world of creating new human tissue in the lab.

Episode 4

The Future of YOU?

One day it might be possible to grow our own tissue or embryo models in remote personal biobanks. What would that make them: part of us? Or new entities entirely? A new horizon of ethics and regulation is approaching; in our final episode we ask how lawyers are thinking through these questions and more.

This project is a collaboration between LSE and The Liminal Space.

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