Human life begins at sperm-egg fusion, but how does one resolve the questions raised when a single embryo splits into two (or more) genetically identical human beings? Maureen Condic will present the scientific evidence for when human life begins and when human identical twinning occurs, and will examine the philosophical issues raised by human twinning.
Maureen Condic, Ph.D. is associate professor of neurobiology and anatomy and adjunct professor of pediatrics at the University of Utah. She is also a member of the U.S. National Science Board and a corresponding member of the Pontifical Academy for Life.
Her current research involves the control of human stem cell potency and differentiation. She co-authored a book entitled Human Embryos, Human Beings: A Scientific and Philosophical Approach and recently published Untangling Twinning: What Science Tells Us about the Nature of Human Embryos.
This lecture was part of the annual Gold Mass for scientists and engineers hosted by the Colleges of Science and Engineering at the University of Notre Dame.