A team of scientists has pulled off a microscopic trick worthy of Houdini. In new research out today, they show it’s possible to create functional human egg cells from a person’s skin cells.

Researchers at Oregon Health & Science University led the study, published Tuesday in Nature Communications. Using a variety of techniques, they successfully fertilized eggs generated from skin cells, which then grew in the lab for several days. Though the findings are only a proof of concept for now, the method could someday provide a new way to treat infertility if fully worked out, the researchers say.

“[F]urther research is required to ensure efficacy and safety before future clinical applications,” they wrote in the paper.

Cell reprogramming

Millions of people worldwide are infertile, often

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