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Human Hearts Successfully Grown In PIG Embryos

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Human hearts grown in pig embryos. Credit: mali maeder, Pexels

In a groundbreaking experiment, researchers have successfully grown tiny human hearts in pig embryos that survived up to 21 days – a development that could one day help solve the global organ shortage.

The findings, presented at the International Society for Stem Cell Research conference in Hong Kong on Wednesday, June 11, 2025, mark a major milestone in xenotransplantation. (The practice of growing or transplanting animal organs into humans.)

Human-pig hybrids with heartbeats

For the first time, scientists reported the growth of beating human-like hearts inside pig embryos. Led by Lai Liangxue of the Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, the team genetically engineered pig embryos by disabling two genes crucial to heart development. They then injected human stem cells – enhanced to survive and multiply – into the embryos at an early stage known as the morula, shortly after fertilisation.

The embryos were later implanted into surrogate pigs. After three weeks, the scientists found that the embryonic hearts had reached the size expected for a human heart at that developmental stage (about the size of a fingertip) and were sure enough, beating. According to Lai, the human cells had been marked with a luminescent biomarker, allowing researchers to identify them inside the heart tissue.

The study is still awaiting peer review, and it’s unclear what proportion of the heart tissue was actually made up of human cells. For comparison, Lai’s previous research on growing human kidney tissue in pig embryos found that 40–60 per cent of the kidney tissue was of human origin.

Scientists cautiously optimistic about human-pig hybrids

Stem-cell biologists and transplant scientists attending the conference welcomed the findings, though with caution. Hiromitsu Nakauchi from Stanford University said he would need to review the data to confirm whether the heart cells were truly human. Hideki Masaki of Tokyo’s Institute of Science noted that the fluorescent cells appeared in only a limited section of the heart, raising questions about how well they integrated with the pig tissue.

Masaki and other scientists noted that, for heart organs to be viable for transplantation, they would need to be made almost entirely of human cells to avoid triggering immune rejection.

Growing human organs in animals

The ultimate goal of such experiments is to produce fully human-compatible organs that can be transplanted into patients in need. The demand far outweighs supply: in the UK alone, more than 415 people died while waiting for an organ in 2023–24, despite over 4,600 transplants being carried out by NHS Blood and Transplant. Only 1 per cent of deaths occur in conditions that make organ donation medically viable, according to Understanding Animal Research.

Even when a suitable donor is found, organs must be matched for size, blood type, and tissue compatibility. They must also be transplanted within tight timeframes – just 4 to 6 hours for hearts – or risk becoming unusable. That makes the logistics incredibly complex.

Pigs have long been seen as suitable organ donors due to similarities in organ size and function. But earlier attempts at xenotransplants failed due to immune rejection. The game-changer came in 1993, when surgeon David Cooper identified a single molecule on pig cells that was triggering the rejection. Using CRISPR and gene-editing technology, researchers eventually managed to remove that molecule and suppress viral genes to make the organs safer for humans.

In 2025, Joseph Tector and his team created a pig kidney that survived over three months in macaques. That same year, a genetically modified pig kidney created by David Cooper lasted 136 days in a baboon

Transplanting organs from animals to humans

While growing organs inside pigs is still in early stages, actual pig organ transplants into humans have already begun.

In 2021, US surgeons transplanted a modified pig kidney into a brain-dead patient. Since then, other successful operations have taken place. Two American research teams implanted pig kidneys into three more brain-dead patients, who produced urine with no signs of rejection. In one remarkable case, a patient received a pig heart modified with ten gene edits.

As of 2025, around six people have received xenotransplants, including kidneys, hearts, livers and thymus glands. However, these procedures were granted under compassionate grounds, meaning recipients were critically ill and out of options. Most survived only a few months. Towana Looney, a 53-year-old woman from Alabama, USA, recently became the longest-living transplant recipient of a genetically modified pig kidney. She surpassed a milestone of two months, and then after almost 5 months, her body sadly rejected it.

FDA approves first clinical trial for pig organs

For xenotransplants to become widely available, full clinical trials are essential. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has now approved the first official trial, run by biotech firm United Therapeutics. It will initially involve six patients receiving genetically modified pig kidneys, eventually expanding to 50 individuals.

Despite scientific enthusiasm, ethical concerns have been raised.

With fewer than 10 per cent of global transplant needs currently met – according to the World Health Organization (WHO) – the need for alternative solutions is urgent. If clinical trials succeed, pig-grown organs could one day become a standard medical option.

Would you accept an organ grown in a pig if it meant saving your life? Let us know what you think.

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Stock Up On Bottled Water, Benalmadena. Taps Will Run Dry On Tuesday

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Mayor Lara not looking very happy about the situation. Credit: Ayuntamiento de Benalmadena

Residents in Benalmadena be warned. There will be cuts to the supply on Tuesday, July 8, as essential works have been left to the busiest and hottest time of year.

Between the times of 8am and 3pm, expect a likely drying up of the taps as council contractors attempt to plug the holes in the water pipes in the following areas:

  • Camino de Amocafre
  • Camino a la Estación
  • Camino de la Viñuela

It seems that around 80 metres of pipework has more holes than a teabag and is long overdue some repairs. The recommendation is to get some bottled water in while you still can and still enough for afterwards, as there may be some sediment left in the pipes in the afternoon.

The troublesome area? Do you remember that massive pipe burst next to the Los Patos hotel that pumped a geyser of clean drinking water into the air? That’s the area that has the problem.

The council apologises for the inconvenience that this measure may cause and thanks the citizens of Benalmadena, and its hotels for understanding while the works, aimed at improving the quality of the water supply, are carried out.

Warning from Benalmadena council and the water company.
Warning from Benalmadena council and the water company.

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Israel Launches Aerial Attacks On Houthis In Yemen

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Israel attacks three Houthi ports and a power plant in Yemen Sunday night, Monday morning, July 7th | Credit: @sabio69 on X

Israeli Defence Forces carried out their first strikes against the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen since the Tel Aviv-Tehran ceasefire. The Israeli military attacked three Yemeni ports and a power plant around midnight on local time Sunday night and into Monday morning, CNN reported.

The attacks come shortly after the Israeli military issued evacuation orders for civilians in the areas, warning of imminent air strikes, the BBC said.

The Israeli Air Force said these strikes on Yemen’s three ports were in response to “repeated attacks” by the Houthis on Israel and its citizens. It added that the targeted ports were being used to “transfer weapons from the Iranian regime to carry out terror plans” against Israel and its allies.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz confirmed on social media the strikes on the Houthi-controlled sites, including a power station and a ship that was hijacked by the group two years ago.

Houthis will pay ‘a heavy price’

Katz said the strikes were part of “Operation Black Flag” and warned that the Houthis “will continue to pay a heavy price for their actions”.

“The fate of Yemen is the same as the fate of Tehran. Anyone who tries to harm Israel will be harmed, and anyone who raises a hand against Israel will have their hand cut off,” he said in a post on X.

“Houthi forces installed a radar system on the ship and have been using it to track vessels in the international maritime arena to facilitate further terrorist activities,” the IDF said in a statement following the strikes.

Following the strikes, Houthi forces said they “effectively repelled” the Israeli attacks, according to a post from a Houthi spokesperson on X, according to ABC News.

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Enrique Iglesias Back In Spain After Six-Year Absence

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Enrique Iglesias delights 25,000 fans upon his return to Spain after a long absence | Credit: @Enriqueiglesias/Instagram

It had been six years since Enrique Iglesias last sang on Spanish soil, but on Saturday night in Gran Canaria, he didn’t just return—he reclaimed it. And nobody expected it because, as reported by Euro Weekly News in mid-2022, the son of Julio Iglesias had announced his retirement from the music business.

Under the warm island sky and in front of 25,000 roaring fans, the Madrid-born global star brought his entire world back to where it began. And what unfolded wasn’t just a concert. It was a reckoning—intimate, explosive, and unapologetically his.

The stadium was vibrant, filled with energy even before Iglesias sounded off his first note. There was a hum in the air and a roaring vibration on the ground as if something unprecedented or surreal was about to happen. And then, it did. The opening bars of “Súbeme la radio” streamed through the air and into the night, and just like that, time collapsed. 

No filler, no gimmicks

Thousands of LED bracelets lit up the stands, and thousands of Iglesias’s fans danced to his rhythm, as if the crowd itself had become a living, breathing constellation.

For two hours, Enrique delivered what his fans expected. He gave them all he is and all he has, which is more than enough. 

No filler, no gimmicks—just music, memory, and connection. From “Bailando” to “El perdón” to “Duele el corazón,” each track hit like a homecoming anthem. The hits weren’t dusted off for nostalgia—they were alive, pulsing with new urgency, sung not just by him but by a crowd that knew every word and had waited too damn long to shout them back.

But the night’s real magic came not with the bangers, but with the stillness. Mid-set, Enrique dimmed the lights and brought out Argentine artist Emilia. The two performed “Héroe,” a song that’s now old enough to vote, yet still holds the emotional weight of a fresh scar. Emilia, fresh off her own fiery set, met Enrique note for note—raw, exposed, and unafraid. Their duet was less a performance, more shared memory. And in that moment, every love lost and held onto in that crowd rose with them.

Later, Emilia posted simply, “Gracias de corazón, Enrique.” She didn’t need to say more. The moment had spoken for itself.

Enrique on stage with Emilia | Credit: @emiliamernes/Instagram
Enrique on stage with Emilia | Credit: @emiliamernes/Instagram

“Héroe” has never left the Spanish bloodstream. Even pop royalty like Dua Lipa paid tribute to it earlier this year, performing it in Spanish during her Madrid tour stop. That song, like Enrique himself, doesn’t age—it transforms.

There was a gravity to this night, and not just because it marked Enrique’s first show in Spain since 2019. He turns 50 this year. It’s also the 30th anniversary of his debut album—three decades that saw him break from Julio Iglesias’s long shadow and build his throne on the global stage.

He’s no longer just the heartthrob from the ’90s. He’s one of the best-selling Latin artists of all time, with over 180 million albums sold and more than 19 billion streams in the digital ether.

They sang like he’d never left

But here’s the truth Enrique proved on Saturday: statistics don’t sing back. People do. And the people of Spain? They sang like he never left.

The Gran Canaria performance was also one of only five shows on his 2025 tour—a list that includes cities as far-flung as Sofia, Abu Dhabi, and Mumbai. Spain got the only hometown date. And the fans knew it. They treated every note like a gift.

Earlier in the day, festival-goers were treated to vibrant sets by Rawayana, Ca7riel and Paco Amoroso, and the electric Picoco’s, but once Enrique Iglesias took the stage, time just seemed to freeze and stand still in awe. The music, the light, the voices—it became something tribal—a collective release.

When it ended, there was no encore. Just Enrique, hand on his heart, eyes full of something unsaid. Maybe gratitude. Maybe relief. Maybe both.

What’s certain is this: Spain didn’t just witness a concert. It welcomed home a son.

Enrique showing his best on-stage moves | Credit: @nabscab/Instagram
Enrique showing his best on-stage moves | Credit: @nabscab/Instagram

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