Brian Coyle
1 min readJul 6, 2019

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Stem cells don’t start the process of becoming neurons until 10 weeks. Anything that could distinguish a human isn’t present, at even the most improbable possibility, until 10 weeks. Until then it’s only stem cells, which are as undifferentiated as in any animal. They’re shaped by chemical gradients, clumping in some areas, stretching thin in others. Like a piece of clay, they begin to resemble something, although it’s little different between different animals, including human.

This isn’t a person. It isn’t anything, yet. This clumping and shaping of stem cells can be formed in a petrie dish. There’s nothing human going on.

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