As time goes on and humans evolve, scientists make complex new discoveries every day. Evolving, learning and growing are the essential parts of human nature. The survival of the human race depends on them. On the other hand, some advancements may not be ethical. Just because you have the key to a box does not necessarily mean that you should unlock it.

     Scientists at Yale University were able to restore brain activity to the unattached brains of pigs. The extent of consciousness of these brains is completely unknown. However, Wilmington Friends Upper School biology teacher, Ellen Johnson said, “Respiration and translation and protein synthesis are the functions occurring in the brain.” Because there are no sensory organs, the brains are not conscious. Another experiment last year, shed more light on brain activity as scientists in San Diego grew small brains in dishes, producing similar brain waves similar to humans.

     These brain transplants, however, are still closer to fiction than reality. While scientists can now revive the functions of unattached brains, reattaching them is an entirely different story. It is still not currently possible for doctors and surgeons to attach these brains to the recipient’s spinal cord.

     Three-dimensional printing is another factor that plays a major role in the future of donor transplants. This is revolutionary due to the fact that an organ can essentially be printed and personalized for the patient, rather than just giving the patient a treatment that works most of the time. While this seems great Johnson notes some cautionary factors to consider. “Some issues include that not all patients would have access to this new technology because of their financial status. Would the donor rate decrease if people thought that they didn’t need to donate organs due to 3D printing?” Scientists and doctors would still need organ donors, even if public perception would change. When asked if he would still donate, Slade Baldwin ’21 said, “If doctors were making organs, I probably wouldn’t donate them.” Lizzie Sills ’21 added, “I think that it is really difficult to know where to draw the line with these types of things.” It is very important to know where the benefits outweigh the issues with these advancements.

     A common myth that generally goes along with the printing of organs is that people could gain biological advantages over others that they wouldn’t have without their new organs. An example used was that an athlete could theoretically get a stronger, bigger or better functioning heart. However, Johnson said that “This isn’t viable because the organ still needs to fit with the body.” It is important to be able to decipher what information is factual and what information is fictional.

     The first engineered functioning heart, complete with cells and blood vessels, was made by scientists working at Tel Aviv University in Israel. While this heart is small (about the size of a rabbit’s), this lays the groundwork for larger human hearts to be made. While these experimental hearts have long ways to go before you start to see them in hospitals, everything is happening at an extraordinarily quick rate. These heart donors alone would be groundbreaking as 610,000 people die of heart disease a year in the United States alone. This makes up 25% of deaths in the United States.   

     With every new scientific discovery comes pros and cons. Some people choose to see the benefits of these biological advancements and some choose to see the problems. These advancements could save countless lives and they could create an even larger divide between social classes. Dr. Rabbi Ira Bedzow told Israel Times that “whenever there is a new medical discovery, both those who view its potential as Utopian and those who fear its unintended consequences are failing to grasp the complexity of the situation.” Despite the possibilities of science, bioethics must be weighed.