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Claim: A Facebook post about Japan allowing scientists to make human-animal hybrids includes an image that appears to show the hybrids.
Rating: FALSE
Why we fact-checked this: The Facebook page “Spirit Science,” with 10 million likes and followers, made a post on February 16 that has garnered 73,000 reactions, 25,000 comments, and 12,000 shares as of writing.
The post includes a graphic with two images along with superimposed text that reads: “Japan allows scientists to make human-animal hybrids.” It also includes a link to a related article.
The facts: The text caption on the graphic is true — in 2019, Japan did approve experiments for the creation of human-animal hybrids. However, the Facebook post uses unrelated and out-of-context photos.
A reverse image search revealed that one of the photos used is a 2002 hyperrealistic artwork by Australian artist Patricia Piccini titled “The Young Family.” The image of a creature with pig-like features was inspired by the ethical implications of biotechnology, genetic manipulation, and breeding animals for organ transfer.
The other photo, meanwhile, is a picture of piglets genetically modified for human organ transplants, which were born in Japan in 2024.
Human-animal hybrids: These genetically modified organisms, also known as chimeras, are produced when human cells are grown within animals. The organs inside these organisms will then be used for future transplantation purposes.
In 2019, Japan’s regulations on human-animal research were revised. According to an article by The Conversation, the regulations allowed scientists to create animal embryos with human cells and then implant them into a surrogate uterus, potentially allowing animals like mice to develop a human pancreas.
Experiments to create animals with organs that might be viable for transplant into humans, however, continue to raise ethical and safety concerns.
In February 2024, scientists successfully bred genetically modified piglets intended for human organ transplants. These piglets were produced using somatic cell cloning technology, where fertilized eggs were transplanted into the uterus of a surrogate mother pig. These piglets will then be donated to other research institutions for organ transplants to other animals as part of safety testing, with the goal of having human trials by 2025. – Lyndee Buenagua/Rappler.com
Lyndee Buenagua is a third year student journalist and an alumna of Aries Rufo Journalism Fellowship of Rappler for 2024.
Keep us aware of suspicious Facebook pages, groups, accounts, websites, articles, or photos in your network by contacting us at factcheck@rappler.com. Let us battle disinformation one Fact Check at a time.
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