Researchers have created synthetic human embryos using stem cells, according to media reports.

Remarkably, these embryos have reportedly been created from embryonic stem cells, meaning they do not require sperm and ova.

This development, widely described as a breakthrough that could help scientists learn more about human development and genetic disorders, was revealed last week in Boston at the annual meeting of the International Society for Stem Cell Research.

Announced by Professor Magdalena Żernicka-Goetz of the University of Cambridge and the California Institute of Technology, the research has not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal.