Daily Archives: April 28, 2017

CF Industries’ Sales Estimated to Rise in 2017 – Market Realist

Posted: April 28, 2017 at 3:15 pm

CF Industries to Announce Its 1Q17 Earnings: What to Expect PART 2 OF 8

CF Industries (CF) revenues come from its AN (ammonia nitrate), Granular Urea, UAN (urea ammonia nitrate), Ammonia, and Other segments. Of these five reported segments, CF Industries earns most of its salesabout one-thirdfrom the UAN segment, followed by the Ammonia and Granular Urea segments. Now, lets look at analysts sales estimates for 1Q17.

For the upcoming 1Q17 release, analysts estimate CF Industries to report ~$1.01 billion, which would grow ~1% year-over-year compared to ~$1.00 billion in 1Q16.

For the next four quarters, the companys sales are estimated to come in at ~$4.2 billion, which would grow 15% compared to ~$3.7 billion in the recent four quarters.

In 2016, sales had declined ~14% year-over-year as a result of declining nitrogen prices. While the demand for nitrogen product remains strong, not much could be said about the direction in which the fertilizer prices move. This is true especially for nitrogen producers such as CF Industries, PotashCorp (POT), CVR Partners (UAN), and Terra Nitrogen (TNH) that have natural gas as the underlying input cost.

Natural gas, which accounts for about two-thirds of the cost of nitrogen production, can be volatile, impacting the profitability of the above players (XLB).

In the next two parts, well discuss profitability for CF Industries.

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Oakland A’s CF target: Leonys Martin – Athletics Nation

Posted: at 3:15 pm

You knew this post was coming.

With Rajai Davis out with a hamstring injury, the As are slightly short staffed in the outfield. Even with Davis around, you could argue theyre short staffed, often relying on one of their platoon outfielders to play against their like handed counterparts. Davis should be back roughly when his ten day stint is up, but hammy strains like to loiter, and its possible the now 36 year old will need more time to heal.

That brings us to Leonys Martin, recently DFAd former Seattle Mariner. If you get DFAd by a club struggling as mightily as the Ms, things probably arent going well for you personally, and that was indeed the case for Martin. In 54 at bats this year, Martin has just six hits good for an unsightly .111/.172/.130 triple slash line.

Hes only 29 though, a year removed from a solid season as a reliable centerfielder in the midst of a quietly decent career. Should the As take a shot at recently DFAd Leonys Martin?

Since Martin was DFAd by the Mariners, hes been placed on waivers. All 30 teams now have the chance to claim him during his ten day waiver period, with the team with the weakest record in 2016 (starting in the AL then moving to the NL) getting first dibs at making a deal. If no deal is made during the ten day period, Martin would become a free agent available to all 30 teams.

While Martin is intriguing to a number of teams, his price tag in a trade is unlikely to be high. The Ms might fetch a lottery ticket reliever or a potential utility player, but Martin just wont yield a solid prospect in return.

That said, there will be competition for his services as there are some truly desperate teams out there. The Giants just lost Denard Span to injury and are trotting Drew Stubbs into their outfield, a move that would have drawn ire in 2012. While Martin would be a decent play for the As, theres just more in it for a team like the Giants. With a closing window and playoff odds that are fading with every loss, theyre more willing to overpay, something the As really shouldnt do.

Dont count the As out, though. If they wanted to make a trade for Martin, theyre high up on the waiver wire and have a deep farm system with plenty of meh guys suitable to net Martin in return. Should he clear waivers, the As could offer him an enticing home with the chance to play a role suitable for his skills.

A real life, actual, functioning defensive center fielder! Its been roughly forever since the As have had one of those, and the fleet footed Martin would help offset Matt Joyces ankle weights in right and Khris Daviss noodle arm in left. A great way to help flawed corner outfielders is to stick a bonafide defender in between.

Jaff Decker has been good, but hes probably not as good as hes played thus far. His more likely spot is as a fourth outfielder with his solid but not amazing defense at all three spots and his platoon bat. Leonys Martin is a lottery ticket, similar to Decker in terms of overall value, and two lottery tickets is always better than one. Acquiring Martin would push Decker towards his likely home of fourth outfielder while improving the As centerfield platoon as well.

Finding Martin a roster spot wouldnt be a difficult task. Matt Olson is basically Matt Joyce in right and while itd be nice to get Olson big league at bats in the near future, hes redundant. Theres no room for him at first and with Joyce in his way, a trip to Nashville is an inevitability. Hes up because of circumstance. Decker would shift into Olsons current role but with added flexiblity, and Olson would get the everyday at bats he deserves.

For the As to compete, they need to take risks. Martin represents a higher upside heavy half of the centerfield platoon, a risk that could keep the As afloat defensively. His awful start came in a tiny sample and hes just a year removed from a very solid season. The As should capitalize on the Mariners overreaction.

Finally, imagine this cannon gunning down Albert Pujols smug ass trying to stretch a groundball to centerfield into a single. Yum.

No, thats not Derek Norriss quiet younger brother. Thats Jaff Decker.

If the As were Decker-less, the decision would be obvious. Pursuing Martin would be a no-brainer, hed be a lottery ticket made for the As roster. Bringing Martin into the fold would put Decker out of his platoon job and into the fourth outfielder role.

Decker has been solid thus far, and too similar overall to Martin to warrant a pursuit. Like Martin, hes a platoon player, fit only to face righties with almost no utility against lefties. Both profile as average-ish defenders, though Martins defensive upside is markedly higher. On the flip side, Deckers offensive ceiling is a touch better than Martins, basically making the difference between the two a wash.

If Martin has any advantage at all, its superseded by Deckers standing on the roster and impressive play to start the year. When youre a team slated to be bad, you dont mess with a good thing. Decker has been a bright spot early and with his youth and limited experience, its possible his early season success could last. Hes a potential long term asset for the As with six years of team control left, and the As would be well suited to continue down Decker-road until its clear what kind of player he is.

Martin is more of a short term play, getting up in age and down in value, unlikely to land on big league rosters for more than a few more years. Hes also very much a lottery ticket - you can hope the upside is still there but the most likely out come is that hes a bust. His defense has slipped by almost every metric, putting more pressure on his always meager bat. Hoping to squeeze more value out of an aging speedster just isnt worth giving up Decker at bats for, and theres no guarantee Martin would make the As any better on either side of the ball.

While there is a potential fit, it just doesnt make perfect sense for the As wont and shouldnt happen. There are teams that are more desperate, therefore wiling to offer more to both the Mariners in terms of prospects and Martin in terms of playing time. The As cant guarantee anything more than sporadic playing time at this point, something a number of teams could top.

Martin is a bit like Decker in terms of his overall potential value. The former is a better bet with the glove, the latter representing more upside with the bat, and both topping out as part time players. The As have a good thing going with Decker now; going with Martin would represent a risk on multiple levels.

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Oakland A's CF target: Leonys Martin - Athletics Nation

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What CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (CF) Is Telling Investors Via Its Technical Chart – NY Stock News

Posted: at 3:15 pm


NY Stock News
What CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (CF) Is Telling Investors Via Its Technical Chart
NY Stock News
CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (CF) has created a compelling message for traders in the most recent trading. That message has grown stronger as the technical chart setup has developed into a more composite picture for the stock. This is the breakdown as ...

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What CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (CF) Is Telling Investors Via Its Technical Chart - NY Stock News

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Weekly Politics Wrap: Metro Meltdown And Corey Stewart’s Campaign Against Political Correctness – WAMU 88.5

Posted: at 3:13 pm


WAMU 88.5
Weekly Politics Wrap: Metro Meltdown And Corey Stewart's Campaign Against Political Correctness
WAMU 88.5
An electrical fire shut down part of Metro's Red Line during the heart of the morning commute this week, creating yet another headache for commuters. Meanwhile, it's unclear whether local jurisdictions will create a dedicated funding stream for the ...
Confederate flag costs Stewart colleagues' support in Va. gov. raceWTOP
Who is Corey Stewart, the Pro-Confederate Virginia Gubernatorial Candidate?Law Street Media (blog)

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Weekly Politics Wrap: Metro Meltdown And Corey Stewart's Campaign Against Political Correctness - WAMU 88.5

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Letters: A funny thing happened on the way to political correctness – Lincoln Courier

Posted: at 3:13 pm

Dear Editor,

Political correctness is everywhere.A national humanist group brought a lawsuit against the school alleging that a family with children in that school is being discriminated against because their children are atheists and the words, under God are discriminatory against them and all other atheist children. The American Humanist Association is an advocacy organization based in Washington, D.C. and on behalf of the family in question has filed a suit in a state court demanding the words under God be stricken from the Pledge of Allegiance.

The American Humanist Association maintains the words added have marginalized atheist and humanist kids as something less than ideal patriots. In fact, the atheist organization insist that those two words brings the state and school district in direct violation of the states constitutional right to equal protection. The organizations attorney stated the schools should not allow the Pledge with such egregious words in them because it constitutes an exercise that teaches students that patriotism is tied to a belief in God. The attorney continued to say, Such a daily exercise portrays atheist and humanist children as second-class citizens, and certainly contributes to anti-atheist prejudices.

Of course the attorney speaking for the school district stated that even though the state law requires the Pledge be recited daily, individual students may choose not to participate if they so wish. The school district attorney stated, The district is merely following a state law that requires schools to have a daily recitation of the pledge. He continued, We are disappointed that this national organization has targeted Matawan-Aberdeen for merely obeying the law as it stands.

This is such an interesting play on the political correctness and the absurdity of trying to turn around a decades-old practice to suit the preferences of those who do not believe in God.

Just for fun, lets say that the atheist group is right and their being offended by the utterance of the two words, under God somehow makes their atheist children less patriotic. If the court decides to feel their pain and decree the two words be stricken from the Pledge, by logic wouldnt the sameoffensebe perpetrated against those children who have been practicing those words each day be violated in much the same way. So the American Humanist Association has no qualms about foisting that same offensive practice of saying the Pledge without the two words that have been spoken by students of at least four generations during the past several decades? By having the pain of discrimination lifted from their shoulders they, in turn, would have the courts plant that same pain of discrimination on the shoulders of the many more tens of thousands of people who do believe in the words under God?

When will we all, as a group of Americans, come to realize that this thing we call political correctness is not only discrimination against another group, but it establishes a double standard of operation that is more often than not a discrimination against the majority of people holding the disputed belief?

Jim Killebrew

Lincoln, Illinois

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Letters: A funny thing happened on the way to political correctness - Lincoln Courier

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Are 3-parent babies products of eugenics or the desire to save lives? – Genetic Literacy Project

Posted: at 3:13 pm

These days, using the tiniest surgical and biological scissors, we can snip away bad genes and insert good ones.thanks

The most astonishing gene therapy news this year has been the crafting of three-parent babies. The in-vitro fertilization practice, known as mitochondrial replacement therapy, is meant to help women who carry genes for mitochondrial diseases have babies without passing the disorders onto their children.

And then there is the time-worn bugaboo of eugenics. Geneticists and ethicists worry that genetic replacement therapies might be used by the wealthy to reduce diversity (selecting for, say, tall, athletic, blond babies) and enhance things like intelligence and physical prowess, producing a generation of look-a-like transhumans who are far more powerful than people who lack the means and money to do the same.

[However,]Im all for gene therapywithin proper scientific and ethical constraintsEvery day, the practice of medicine keeps people alive who would otherwise die. If we only apply the logic of survival of the fittest to genetic therapy, we might wind up culling valuable lives that human ingenuity could save.

The GLP aggregated and excerpted this blog/article to reflect the diversity of news, opinion, and analysis. Read full, original post:Three-parent babies should make us examine our instinct for offspring who share our genes

For more background on the Genetic Literacy Project, read GLP on Wikipedia

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‘Bill Nye Saves the World’: ‘Scientist’ Slammed for Promoting Eugenics, Abortion on New Netflix Show – Gospel Herald

Posted: at 3:13 pm

Bill Nye "The Science Guy" has come under fire after proposing an unusual solution to climate change: penalize American families for having "extra kids".

The episode "Earth's People Problem" is part of the Netflix series "Bill Nye Saves the World." During the 30-minute show, Nye asked one of the panelists if it would be a good idea to have the government penalize having "extra kids."

"Should we have policies that penalize people for having extra kids in the developed world?" Nye asked Travis Rieder, an academic for Berman Institute of Bioethics at Johns Hopkins University.

"I do think we should at least consider it," said Rieder, who earlier in the show noted that children in developed countries use 160 times more resources than children in the developing world.

"Well, 'at least consider it' is like, 'do it,'" Nye replied.

Rieder replied, "One of the things that we could do that's kind of least policy-ish is we could encourage our culture and our norms to change, right?"

During the show, Nye, an abortion advocate, also explained how women who have access to educational and professional opportunities tend to have fewer children. Thus, more resources can be devoted to those children: "It's not rocket surgery. It's science!" he said.

However, Dr. Rachel Snow, chief of population development at the United Nations Population Fund, who was also on the panel, hit back at the suggestion:

"I would take issue with the idea that we do anything to incentivize fewer children or more children," she said. "I think it's all about ... human rights. People should have the number of children they want ... and if some families have five or six children, God bless them. That's fine. But most people end up with fewer."

Nye's comments sparked outrage on social media, with many accusing "The Science Guy" of promoting eugenics and abortion: "The replacement level fertility rate is 2.1 children per woman--something that most of the developed world hasn't seen in years," writes Town Hall reporter Christine Rousselle. "It's downright spooky and chilling to say that parents should be 'penalized' for daring to expand their families. If anything, one would think that parents should be encouraged to have more children."

Some countries already do penalize large families - with horrifying results. LifeNews notes that in China, families who have more than one or two children report being coerced or even forced to abort their unborn children, fired from their jobs and penalized with huge fines.

Reads a Reuters report: "For decades, China harshly implemented the one-child policy, leading to forced abortions and infanticides across the country. In recent years, however, the policy has been relaxed, and some couples are allowed to have a second child. Others are permitted a second child if they pay a fine."

While some have praised Nye's new Netflix show, the series has received a staggeringly low IMDb score of 4.4 out of 10: "More drivel from another Cultural Marxist thought bully," reads one review. "The writing is astonishingly simple minded, and the 'science' is puerile and near non existent."

During a February interview with The Gospel Herald, Ken Ham, founder, president, and CEO of the creationist organization Answers in Genesis, Creation Museum, and Ark Encounter, warned that Nye's show intentionally "brainwashes and indoctrinates" young people.

"Bill Nye might think he's the savior of the world, but I've got news for Bill Nye: Jesus is the Savior of the world," Ham said, quoting John 3:16 - "For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life."

He added, "The Bible makes it clear - we can't save ourselves, we had to have someone come and save us because we're sinners."

Ham suggested that Nye will use his Netflix show to "brainwash and indoctrinate people" by stepping outside of observational science and going into the realm of belief.

"He'll do experiments and things will explode...and then he'll say, 'And science has shown us we evolved from animals millions of years ago,'" Ham said. "Totally different. That's the big danger of it all, that it indoctrinates generations [who believe] that because we do things that go 'poof' and 'bang' and make technology, therefore we've got to believe Bill Nye when he says everything came about by natural processes; that there's no God."

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'Bill Nye Saves the World': 'Scientist' Slammed for Promoting Eugenics, Abortion on New Netflix Show - Gospel Herald

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Town and County police searching for credit card cloning suspect – KSDK

Posted: at 3:13 pm

Police say the suspect is somehow using cloned credit cards to withdraw cash from ATMS.

Alexandra Martellaro, KSDK 5:01 PM. CDT April 27, 2017

Recognize this person? Call the Town and Country Police Department. (Photo: Town and Country Police, Custom)

TOWN AND COUNTRY, MO. - Police in Town and Country are asking for the public's help identifying a suspect accused of using cloned credit cards.

According to police, the suspect created the cloned cards likely by using a skimmer to steal victims' card information. The victims never lost control of their cards.

Recognize this person? Call the Town and Country Police Department. (Photo: Town and Country Police, Custom)

The suspect has hit several communities in the St. Louis metro area and uses the cloned cards to withdraw cash from ATMs. He was captured on camera using a cloned card at the Woods Mill Schnucks.

Recognize this person? Call the Town and Country Police Department. (Photo: Town and Country Police, Custom)

If you recognize this person, pleasecontact Detective Ronnie Nicoletti with the Town and Country Police Department at 314-568-2103.

2017 KSDK-TV

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Town and County police searching for credit card cloning suspect - KSDK

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April 28, 2017 | No. 211: Real facts, a robotic dog and cloning the Star Trek tricorder – Innovate Long Island

Posted: at 3:13 pm

Its Friday out there: Looking back, April was not the cruelest month. Pretty wet, though.

The 2 millionth American patent was issued this week in 1935. It went to automotive engineer Joseph Ledwinka for a wheel design. Classic car enthusiasts remember Ledwinka as the designer of the 1929 Ruxton, the first front-wheel-drive American car. (Four still known to exist.)

Happy birthday Alice Waters.

But first, this: Collect enough data, the saying goes, and you can prove anything.

Thats not quite the charter of USAFacts, the national database unveiled last week by former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, but it certainly gets the job done.

Sucking up info from more than 70 government sources and 50,000+ special districts and other agencies, the database offers a Joe Friday look at how our nation collects money, how it spends it and on whom and what. You decide if the investment was really worth it.

Small example: The amount of fuel wasted in traffic congestion more than doubled between 1990 and 2015, even as per capita spending on road projects went up by 50 percent.

Another: Federal R&D investment per capita, in steady dollars, was $463 in 1990 and $402 last year.

Also not good if you ever hope to collect Social Security: The U.S. population grew by 100 million between 1980 and 2015, but only a tenth of them were children.

And: You really dont want to know what your share of the federal debt is.

On the fly: Hofstras Center for Entrepreneurship hosts a drone seminar and follow-on flying demonstration, May 2, 3 p.m., space limited, contact Stacey.Sikes@Hofstra.edu.

Congrats: Huntington Hospital has become the first LI facility to achieve nursings top of the charts quality designation for the fourth time in a row.

Not to be overlooked: SBU computer scientist prof and researcher Long Lu has received a prestigious National Science Foundation Career award and a tidy $500K to continue his work on mobile security.

Cant imagine: Attorney, mother of eight and now prez of the Nassau Womens Bar Association. An Elaine Colavito Q&A.

Attention hop-heads: Innovator of the Year winner Moustache Brewing Co. has a big release weekend planned for May 5-7. In addition to this years Blueberry + Ginger Tripel, theres DJ Night, an IPA brewed with Azacca and Idaho 7 hops, and Get Up On Outta Here!, a double IPA brewed with Hll Melon, Mandarina Bavaria, and Motueka hops. Details.

Not related as far as we know: The James Beard Awards for writing were out this week, including this Thrillist piece on the great craft brewing sell out.

Also: The indefatigable Kevin Alexander on the hunt for NYT restaurant critic Pete Wells. Worth a read.

ON INNOVATELI.COM RIGHT NOW

+ The Debrief: Lenny Poveromo, chief exec at the Composite Prototyping Center, is a man of many layers.

+ Plainview-based on-demand video firm NeuLion gets Suffolk IDA help to move its HQ and add jobs, and there are affordable rental units on the way.

+ The governor came to Farmingdale State College (Innovate sponsor, lemme hear a yay) to announce $2.5 billion in clean water spending.

+ The states annual economic development sweepstakes, which pits Upstater against Southern Tierer, Finger Laker against Long Islander etc. for a share of $800 million, while NYC looks on with disdain, kicks off May 1.

+ Northwell Health and Feinstein Institute spinout TheraSource are teaming to take on sepsis, thanks to a not insignificant chunk of NIH dough.

+ Thuro Metal Products makes good on its pledge to stay put and prosper.

A few words from our sponsor:TheWells Fargo Private Bankunderstands no two clients are the same. We provide a personalized approach by offering tailored solutions for Long Islands most successful individuals and families in response to all types of wealth management needs including investments, lending, planning and other financial products customized for their needs.

Imagine if there was an Oscar for doing good. There is.The Imagine Awards, May 2, Crest Hollow, all you need to knowhere.

And dont forgetEisnerAmpers Pivotal conference, which combines deep thought, tech talk, Grade A networking, performance andapres-beveraging in one giant happening, May 9, 3 to 8 p.m., The Space in Westbury,register here.

The SBU Incubator Company Showcase, both physical and virtual,is June 8.

The rest of the Innovate calendar ishere.

Spot on: Boston Dynamics is developing a robotic dog to deliver packages. It currently operates at two-thirds the speed of the average human worker. (Or twice as fast as the boss son.)

Sweeeet: Researchers have developed implantable cells that can control insulin production in diabetics.

The real McCoy: Final Frontier Medical Devices has won Qualcomms $2.5 million prize for a medical scanner that comes really close to the Star Trek tricorder.

Dont do this: Francis J. Lang, a resident of upstate Johnstown, has been issued eight summons related to his attempt to skip his snowmobile across an unfrozen pond. (Leaving the scene of a snowmobile submerged in a public body of water was one. No, wait. Two.)

Might we note:Theres really no such thing asfreenews. Please support great institutions like theWells Fargo Private Bank and the incredible local professionals who make it hum.

Did we mentionliking us onFacebook? Or LinkedIn? Pinterest even?

And how about thatsponsorship thing? Your firm could be winning envious glances and new customers on our site right now.

Compiled by John Kominicki. Thanks for reading.

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April 28, 2017 | No. 211: Real facts, a robotic dog and cloning the Star Trek tricorder - Innovate Long Island

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Biobag Grows Baby Sheep; We are Close to Cloning Humans – Edgy Labs (blog)

Posted: at 3:12 pm

Scientists have developed an extra-uterine womb,called a biobag, and successfully used it to grow baby sheep.This artificial womb could help bring prematurely born babies to term as well as enable a new type of surrogacy.

If youre Lincoln Six Echo from the movie, The Island, this is where it all starts. First, theyre growing baby sheep and saving severely premature babies. The next thing you know, our insurance policies are cloning humans identical to us. When our organs fail, we just trade out with our clone. The only question is: who will be able to afford that?

Birth is considered preterm if it happens before completing the 37th week of pregnancy. In the U.S., according to stats provided by theCDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), about 1 in 10 pregnancies ended in preterm birth in 2015 (30,000 babies). Globally, rates range between 5% and 18%, with 15 million preterm babies born annually.

The earlier the birth happens, the fewer chances of survival for the baby: at less than 23 weeks, the chance is close to zero. The chance increases exponentially after week 25, reaching about 80%. Preterm or premature birth is the leading cause of newborn deaths, estimated at around one-third in 2013. Babies who survive would face short and long-term health complications.

Scientists at Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia designed an extra-uterine incubation system that could reduce mortality for preterm children. The device, described in a paper published in the journalNature, is filled with synthetic amniotic fluid that allows the fetus to breathe, supporting thegrowth of the lungs, much like the mothers placenta would do. Oxygen-rich blood is pumped into the bag and excess CO2 is removed.

The device would enable extreme preterm babies the chance to develop their lungs and other vital organs, serving as a bridge to support them during a critical period before getting to the outside world.

CHOP researchers, led by fetal surgeon Dr. Alan Flake, have gone through four prototypes, including a glass incubator tank, before settling on the current design. They conducted pre-clinical studies and tested the artificial womb with fetal lambs, in which the prenatal development of these organs is very similar to that of humans.

Previous womb-like incubator systems have lasted only 60 hours, but CHOPs device operates for up to four weeks. The baby sheep remained healthy and showed normal functions and organ maturation; they breathe, swallow, open their eyes and grow wool. In the next decade, the team envisions to having a licensed device to support premature infants and help get them over the 28-week threshold, instead of being artificially ventilated inside current incubators.

Aside from supporting naturally born babies, the biobag, once its capable enough to cover the whole gestation period, could serve as a surrogate device. Women with infertility problems or conditions that make pregnancy hazardous, or even as a personal or professional decision, could use such a birth mother device.

Hopefully, this would cut through expensive surrogacy programs that labor to find compatible mothers among a sea of willing applicants.

Or maybe this technology will be harvested for less humanitarian and more profit-driven purposes. Perhaps then we will really see cloned organ surrogates like from the movie, The Island. What would you do if we started cloning humans for organ reclamation?

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Biobag Grows Baby Sheep; We are Close to Cloning Humans - Edgy Labs (blog)

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