Premature babies might complete their gestation in artificial wombs called "biobags" in the coming years. The anesthetic ketamine might be a powerful treatment for depression, but increasing drug abuse could rapidly undermine its legitimate medical use. Banning the weedkiller glyphosate could have disastrous effects on agriculture around the world.

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Join hosts Dr. Liza Dunn and GLP contributor Cameron English on episode 239 of Science Facts and Fallacies as they break down these latest news stories:

* From lambs to humans: Artificial wombs are on the horizon

It may be possible in the coming years to gestate premature babies—as young as 22 weeks—in devices called "biobags," which are engineered to emulate the environment of a mother's womb. Researchers from the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia have successfully used the technology to save premature lambs; they're now petitioning the FDA for approval to perform clinical trials with human children. Biobags represent a potentially enormous step forward for the care of premature babies, though some physicians, including a pioneer in the field of fetal surgery, say the technology isn't ready for prime time.

* Viewpoint: Ketamine for mental health is being abused. We need more regulatory oversight

Long used as an anesthetic and pain reliever, ketamine may also prove to be a blockbuster treatment for major depression. The drug's efficacy against mental illness remains in doubt until scientists gather more evidence, though existing research indicates that ketamine may be as effective as existing interventions. The ultimate problem, though, may be abuse. Physicians working in the so-called "wellness industry" have apparently started prescribing ketamine off label to patients under guise of vitamin or mineral infusions. This practice invites serious side effects and, according to some experts, downplays the risks posed by ketamine use. Will the FDA step in?

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* Viewpoint: Why a glyphosate ban would lead to use of ineffective and more toxic alternatives

Glyphosate has been studied time and again for more than 40 years. It's a low-toxicity weedkiller that poses minimal risk to human health and the environment. Nevertheless, what would happen if the pesticide's vocal opposition finally got its way and convinced governments to ban glyphosate? Officials in the Netherlands commissioned a team of scientists to study that counterfactual. Their conclusion: banning glyphosate would boost the use of more toxic pesticides.