Artificial Wombs: How They Will Literally Change Mankind Forever

Gravitational Manipulation

If artificial wombs are developed within the next 50 years or less, you can bet your house that we will bring one into space. Does this mean we will use one on the International Space Station, for instance? While possible, we will likely see them used in potential colonies on the Moon and most certainly on Mars. We have known for a while now that our height is entirely based on the gravity levels on Earth. If we grow up on another planet with lower levels, we’d potentially grow much taller. Yet going to another planet with higher gravity will slowly shrink us down the longer we’re there. We have somewhat confirmed this based on how astronauts grew in height when they come back from space missions, only to go back down to their original height on Earth. Using the wombs to confirm this could be useful.

Organ Growth – The Problems

This is the part that gets very interesting for people. Did you know in the United States right now, there are over 100,000 people on the organ donation waiting list? As usual, most on the list are looking for a new kidney. The issue with organ donations is that organs have to fit a specific blood type, and obviously, they need to be in perfect working order. However, even if you get a new organ, there is no guarantee your body won’t reject it. While one will take anti-rejection medicine for the rest of their life, the organ could still be rejected. It is unusual for rejection to happen several years down the line, but not unheard of. Even if the person giving you something like a kidney is a direct family member, something could go wrong. Artificial wombs will change all of this.

Organ Growth – The Solution

When you need a new organ in the future, artificial wombs will play a critical role. If we can make an entire child inside a womb, then that means we can isolate these machines to grow specific organs. They will not be “artificial organs” or those made from hard plastic like a 3D Printer. Rather, they will be real organs that will save potentially billions of lives in the future. First off, the womb will be using your DNA and your blood type. Thus, a very low chance of rejection. Plus, you won’t need anti-rejection medications at least after a few months. Why? We’re using your DNA, so your body will not see the new organ as a foreign invader. It will treat the new organ as it would any other. While there will be an issue for people with blood disorders like Lupus, this can be managed.

Plastic Surgery Revolution

One of the areas artificial wombs will likely become a massive asset is in the field of plastic surgery. Plastic surgeons use things like Botox to help people appear younger, but it’s actually incredibly toxic. The wombs will eliminate this stuff from being used. Instead, advancements will be made to grow skin, fat, tissue, and other things within the artificial wombs. We will be able to age the skin as well, and potentially replace older skin with younger replacement skin. This will allow a person to appear lightyears younger. Another area this will be useful for is in the realm of spying as it will allow us to make facial masks that actually look real. It’ll really fit the Mission Impossible-style mask development we all love, which is not possible currently. Therefore, this “could” become a problem that even AI would be shocked at.

Breast Augmentation – The Problems

Right now, if one wants to have breast augmentation surgery (boob job), you will know a few things. First, you’ll know that the breasts put inside your body will be made of random materials like silicon. You’ll need to be careful to avoid popping them too. However, they won’t feel exactly the same as they did before getting them altered. On a weird note, many women have reported having some mental issues when they get their breasts altered. Others report things like breast implant illness. When removing them, they noted feeling better. This means that like with an organ added into the body, your immune system might very well see the new breasts as foreign invaders that need to be taken down. However, things like breasts do not have any job to do like organs so many don’t think about this stuff.

Breast Augmentation – The S0lution

No one takes anti-rejection medications for new breasts anyway. Meaning, they could be making someone sick for years without the person ever realizing it. This is where artificial wombs will revolutionize this industry. We discussed the potential to grow organs already. However, if it can grow those, it can also grow everything that makes up the human breast. Your breasts are made of glandular & connective tissue, lobes, lobules, ducts, lymph nodes, blood vessels, and ligaments. Yet you would likely only need the tissue. Not only will this be the kind of stuff you already have, but the breasts will feel the same too. Plus, future breastfeeding won’t be an issue either. Best of all, there is no chance for the bodily rejection issue we mentioned. Plastic surgeons are already using fat transfer in this field, so the wombs will revolutionize it more.

Skin Graft Change

Yes, if we’re discussing things like breast augmentation and organ donation changes…this field is going to change too. For those unfamiliar with skin grafts, it is a type of surgical procedure. During it, specialists take healthy skin from one part of the body and transplant it to cover damaged or missing skin. Usually, in a few days, grafted skin will start to develop blood vessels and even connect to the skin around it. This field has constantly become more innovative and we can do some amazing things today in this area. However, rather than taking skin from your body to transfer it elsewhere, artificial wombs will remove that concept. You’d simply grow all the skin you’d need in the wombs, and cut recovery time down dramatically. Plus, if surgeons make mistakes, they can always grow more.

Muscle, Joint, Bone, & Ligament Growth

We truly meant it when we said artificial wombs could do a lot. Let’s say you hurt your hip and need an entire hip replacement. This can be a very difficult surgery for anyone to recover from. We tend to use things like metal-on-polyethylene and ceramic. However, what if you could grow a whole hip bone/hip joint made from the person’s DNA? You don’t have to deal with a potential rejection issue as we discussed with the other stuff. Plus, you’re putting a bone/joint back in place of a bone/joint. It is a brand-new hip that would do the job perfectly. All are made from your own DNA. The same would be possible for ligaments and muscles too. Imagine being wheelchair-bound due to a vertebrae issue. One could have spinal surgery to replace the damaged area with grown materials, allowing them to walk again.

Entire Body Part Regeneration

Let’s say someone is part of the Armed Forces. One day during a routine mission, a grenade is thrown that lands right by a soldier. He jumps but cannot get away quickly enough. He lives, but his right leg is blown off from the explosion. Artificial wombs will eventually allow us to do entire body part regeneration. This differs from simply growing something you can attach to other stuff. It is an entire leg, right? The tech will become so advanced that one will be able to go into a machine for a few days as the wombs use the person’s DNA to regrow their leg. Many believe that this type of concept is going to be possible before even the artificial womb itself. Funny enough, regeneration already occurs somewhat for humans. This will just speed up that process or do it in places where regeneration does not occur.

Exploring Societal & Ethical Implications Of Artificial Reproduction

Clearly, we’ve just referenced how artificial wombs will allow us to do several things when it comes to helping mankind. From making sure kids do not grow up with preventable diseases to doing studies that could help present-day adults. Yet there is also more to this to consider. What are the ethical and societal implications of artificial reproduction? Are we considering how parenthood will work for those who aren’t great parents? We also have to ask if artificial reproduction is something society will even accept at all. There will be discussions about the family structure, societal norms, along with legal framework. Not to mention the idea of allowing this to occur while we have an ever-growing foster system that still needs more foster parents. It’ll surely become a huge debate, especially when policies are made surrounding it.

Where Do We Find This Stuff? Here Are Our Sources:

National Institutes of Health (NIH)

United States Food & Drug Administration (FDA)

Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC)

World Health Organization (WHO)

National Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA)

Canadian Space Agency (CSA)

National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases

European Union Stem Cell Research

United Nations Development Programme

American Society of Plastic Surgeons

American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists

United Network for Organ Sharing

Cleveland Clinic

Mayo Clinic

Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

Harvard University

CNY Fertility