Premature births are one of the biggest causes of infant mortality. But what if a baby could have a normal gestation even if it’s not in its mother’s womb? Would that not increase the chances of survival?

A recent experiment suggests just that.

Over four weeks, eight preterm lambs were incubated inside what look like huge ziplock bags, which simulated the environment of a womb. Inside the confines of the artificial womb, called the Biobag, the animals opened their eyes, their organs grew, they began sprouting wool and learnt to swallow, according to a report in science publication The Verge.

Of course, it’s early days. Alan Flake, foetal surgeon at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and lead author of the study, warned it would be “complete science fiction” to think that the mother would no longer be required. Even so, the potential benefits of the technology are enormous. And human babies could be up next for tests, although any trials are at least three years away.

The lambs involved in the study were 105-120 days premature. After four weeks in the Biobag, they were moved to normal ventilators, and all except one was euthanised. This was done so that their organs could be examined, and they appeared to have grown as they would have in case of a normal birth, the scientists behind the study revealed. The video below, from Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, provides a deeper explanation of the Biobag.

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At 35%, India has the highest rate of preterm births in the world.