In science fiction, the artificial womb often signals a grim departure from good ol’ Mother Nature. Think the pods in The Matrix, axolotl tanks in Frank Herbet’s Dune, and the hatcheries in Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World. But speculation has borne reality: In the last several decades, scientists around the world have explored the possibility of growing humans outside the body in a variety of ways. Now, this week, members of the Food and Drug Administration’s Pediatric Advisory Committee (PAC) met to discuss potential first-in-human clinical trials.
