Proposed experiments with animal-human embryos cleared the first regulatory hurdle Tuesday, reports said, as Japanese scientists seek permission for tests that could see human organs produced inside the growing body of an animal. Researchers want to introduce a human stem cell into an animal embryo, to create a so-called "chimeric embryo", which they can implant into an animal's womb. The hope is that this stem cell will grow into a fully-functioning human organ -- a kidney or a liver, for example -- as the animal matures.

More than 30 wild animals, including pythons, tortoises, a slow loris and a marmoset have been seized from a flat in Singapore in the city's largest such haul of banned wildlife in more than a decade, a government agency said Tuesday. The owner, who kept the animals in a public housing apartment, could be jailed for two years and fined up to Sg$500,000 ($297,000), the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) said in a statement.

Japanese experts were Tuesday set to discuss rules for experiments with animal-human embryos, as scientists seek permission for tests that could see human organs produced inside the growing body of an animal. Researchers want to introduce a human stem cell into an animal embryo, to create a so-called "chimeric embryo", which they can implant into an animal's womb. The hope is that this stem cell will grow into a fully-functioning human organ -- a kidney or a liver, for example -- as the animal matures.

Experts say it may not be possible to eliminate chronic wasting disease in deer and elk in Canada. The fatal infectious disease is so well established in Saskatchewan and Alberta that the federal government and some provinces are rethinking how to deal with what is commonly known as CWD. In 2005, Ottawa announced a national strategy to control chronic wasting disease in the hope of finding ways to eradicate it. Now the emphasis is shifting to preventing CWD from spreading, especially in the wild.