Japanese scientists are expecting to be granted approval to grow human organs in animals and then harvest them for transplant within the next year. A panel of scientists and legal experts appointed by the government has drawn up a recommendation that will form the basis of new guidelines for Japan's world-leading embryonic research.

There is widespread support in Japan for research that has raised red flags in other countries. Scientists plan to introduce a human stem cell into the embryo of an animal - most likely a pig - to create what is termed a "chimeric embryo" that can be implanted into an animal's womb. When the adult animal is slaughtered, the organ will then be harvested and transplanted into a human. That will then grow into a perfect human organ, a kidney or even a heart, as the host animal matures. When the adult creature is slaughtered, the organ will then be harvested and transplanted into a human with a malfunctioning organ.

Nakauchi's team have already succeeded in injecting stem cells from rats into the embryos of mice that had been genetically altered

The conference at the Palais des Nations, Geneva, was called by UN Geneva director general Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in search of "a comprehensive framework" or new paradigm for UN work with its partners in the areas of global economy, ecology, education, health, security, and governance.

Comment from Understand the Times:

Theories proposed to promote the idea that man has evolved continue to push the imagination beyond sensible limits. Now we are being told that pitchers in the MLB have developed their skills and are further evolved from brute like ancestors because of "key evolutionary adaptations."

Throwing helped our primate ancestors to defend themselves against dangerous predators and boost brain power, scientists have said. It enabled humans to survive by hunting big game, expanding their diet and colonizing almost every corner of the globe.

US researches say baseball pitchers, who can throw at speeds of up to 100mph, can do so because of key evolutionary adaptations to the torso, shoulders and arms which began nearly two million years ago.

Neil Roach of George Washington University in Washington DC told The Independent: "We think that throwing was probably most important early on in terms of hunting behavior, enabling our ancestors to kill big game. "Eating more calorie-rich meat and fat would have allowed our ancestors to grow larger brains and bodies and expand into new regions of the world - all of which helped make up who we are today."