For this Sci-Friday, let’s enjoy a quick scifi and darktech product called Ectolife. Rest assured, as skeevy as it sounds, the Ectolife isn’t real. At least, not yet. Take a look and then let’s discuss:
Okay so this is clearly some darktech scifi and I don’t blame you for feeling weird about it. I feel weird, too. The use of extracorporeal life support (ECLS) for pediatric and neonatal babies and dramatic improvements in technology and safety have broadened their scope. Ectolife is clearly an example of that kind of technology.
Could it work?
Could it work? No. USA Today interviewed Elizabeth Chloe Romanis, assistant professor of biological law at Durham University in the U.K and co-director of Gender and Law at Durham. Her assessment is simple: “Complete ectogestation is highly unlikely in the near future … “Little is known about how we would replicate the very early stages of a human pregnancy outside of the womb.”
Could the technical challenges be resolved? Eh, maybe. Doctors have tried. Experiments in extracorporeal neonatology have resulted in some ‘eh, maybe’ results by the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia in 2017.
But, so what? Ectolife is a non-starter almost from the beginning. Have you noticed the sheer, visceral reaction the public has to this potential technology? Anyone foolish enough to attempt it would put their investment, not to mention their lives, at risk. Investors are loath to fork over billions for a biotech company knowing the pitchfork-and-torch crowd might appear at any time.
Sure, Ectolife is a darktech scifi fantasy. The main point is, this creepy vision illustrates the value of scifi – our imagination lets us choose our reactions before our reactions choose us.
I hope you enjoyed this darktech scifi adventure with Ectolife. Please feel welcomed to dive down the rabbit hole of every other Sci-Friday I’ve published in the past couple years. Have a great weekend!
