UK says yes to three-parent IVF babies. The science behind it is pretty wild.

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The UK is becoming the first country to legalize the creation of baby humans from three different adult humans.

An explainer of the science and how the law came into being is here. The method, developed first in the UK, could help women with mitochondrial disease.

Mitochondria are the tiny compartments inside nearly every cell of the body that convert food into useable energy. They have their own DNA, which does not affect characteristics such as appearance.

Defective mitochondria are passed down only from the mother. They can lead to brain damage, muscle wasting, heart failure and blindness.

The technique uses a modified version of IVF to combine the DNA of the two parents with the healthy mitochondria of a donor woman.

"MPs say yes to three-person babies" [BBC]