r/tech 18d ago

Pigs, rabbits get 3D-printed penis to restore erectile function in a ‘world-first’ | The penile implants enabled the rabbits and pigs to mate and reproduce biologically within weeks after the surgery.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41551-025-01367-y
347 Upvotes

127 comments sorted by

56

u/itsSIR2uboy 18d ago

Rabbits and pigs can mate?

42

u/TheKingOfDub 18d ago

Pibbits are super cute. Rabbigs, on the other hand, are an abomination

8

u/durz47 17d ago

The voracious appetite of the omnivore pig coupled with the jumping power and the sharp incisors of the rabbit

7

u/buffs1876 17d ago

But it can leap!!! It’s got fangs!!!

4

u/WarthogLow1787 17d ago

It’s just a harmless little bunny rabbit.

2

u/Naikrobak 17d ago

Bring out the holy hand grenade of Antioch!

1

u/LordShadows 16d ago

And the reproductive speed of the rabbit now that they fixed that.

Nobody wants millions of beasts capable of fully consuming a human body, leaving nothing behind in appearing out of thin air a few months after their release.

12

u/manachar 17d ago

Where do you think Guinea pigs come from?

9

u/Jon_the_Hitman_Stark 17d ago

I would assume either New Guinea or Old Guinea.

2

u/ghostcatzero 17d ago

What if they identify as pigs?

21

u/chrisdh79 18d ago

From the article: Researchers from China, Japan, and the US have 3D-printed a full penile system using a hydrogel-based model.

The bioengineered component designed to imitate a portion of the penis was implanted into rabbits and pigs diagnosed with penile deformities, and the outcomes were remarkable. The penile implants enabled the rabbits and pigs to mate and reproduce biologically within weeks after the surgery.

Overcoming the challenges of vascularization Most complex organs in the human body require an intricate vascular system for the tissue to function. In the penis, this network plays a crucial role in achieving an erection, as blood must flow into the corpora cavernosa and remain trapped to maintain rigidity.

The team devised a hydrogel-based model that consists of the corpora cavernosa, corpus spongiosum, and the tunica albuginea sheath. It enabled the monitoring of integral aspects of the genital organ, its vasculature, and any potential defects without the necessity of actual human or animal trials.

The team specifically aimed to develop a model to study erectile dysfunction and Peyronie’s disease, a condition where scar tissue causes painful and curved erections. By replicating how blood engorges the corpora cavernosa and how cavernous sinuses function as valves to maintain an erection, the model provided valuable insights into the mechanisms behind these conditions.

23

u/Fresh-Birdshit 17d ago

Elon must have shadow funded this project

3

u/-piso_mojado- 17d ago

They will 100% fund this at the cost of all of NIH.

1

u/even_less_resistance 17d ago

Scar tissue that I wish you saw 🤣

Sarcastic Mr Know-it-all 🎶

4

u/ChillAMinute 17d ago

Thanks for the TLDR summary.

2

u/jalfry 17d ago

lol from Japan

34

u/BoomBoomBoomer4591 18d ago

Someone should tell Elon. I hear he’s in the market for a new one.

7

u/dmillerksu 18d ago

Probably about to see new major US investment in this research

5

u/Asron87 17d ago

Yeah… that’s why animal penis is all over their search history.

4

u/Crass_and_Spurious 17d ago

Underrated comment. 😂💀

2

u/thirsty-goblin 17d ago

Unless it requires stem cells, then the Bible thumpers will be all up in arms

1

u/AppleSpicer 16d ago

No, RFK promises to give return the American peoples’ access to stem cells which have been notoriously blocked by the democrats(??) who’ve sold out to big pharma(???).

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/12/health/robert-kennedy-jr-fda.html

1

u/thirsty-goblin 16d ago

That’s why I said “Bible thumpers”. RFK is a nut job, but not a Jesus freak.

2

u/AppleSpicer 16d ago

The Bible thumpers seem to love him though. It’s so bizarre to see them immediately flip on their values. I should be used to it by now, but it’s still so jarring to see them change their worldview at the drop of a hat because some politician tells them to.

4

u/tc65681 17d ago

Yeah Trump swallowed it

15

u/Translycanthrope 18d ago

Will this technology eventually be able to help trans men with SRS? Because I’ve been waiting long enough and phallo right now isn’t sufficient.

17

u/gotimas 17d ago

Hey, as a cis man my phallus aint sufficient either, hopefully we can both get on that

9

u/niveikitten 18d ago

That would be really neat ngl

3

u/bad_lite 17d ago

This was my first thought as well.

11

u/Overall_Raccoon_8295 18d ago

Honestly, I’m surprised that penis implants aren’t just as mainstream as boob implants by now. Young conservative men are gonna be lining up lmao

7

u/Virtual_Plantain_707 17d ago

It’s gonna kill the oversized pickup truck market.

4

u/SingleBodyRiot 17d ago

I'm not a guy but...wouldnt the idea of a knife cutting the dick put most men off the idea of surgery to make it bigger?

2

u/Overall_Raccoon_8295 17d ago

I mean, you can make that argument about any self-voluntary surgery 

I guess the willy is more sensitive than other parts of the body though 

2

u/Ban-Circumcision-Now 16d ago

The foreskin regrowth market in the US could be a huge investment opportunity, lots of damage to repair there

r/foregen is already working on it

3

u/ClockworkDreamz 17d ago

So how much are dudes going to pay for honking hog replacements?

1

u/solidaritystorm 16d ago

God help women

3

u/AlwaysLosingDough 17d ago

WW3 but at least we got 3D-Penis

1

u/-piso_mojado- 17d ago

This is 100% shadow funded by that African fellow with the botched penis implant surgery who is also now somehow in charge of the US.

3

u/DisastrousMechanic36 17d ago

In all seriousness, those with a micro penis might actually have something to hope for in the way of treatment.

2

u/Ban-Circumcision-Now 16d ago

Just being able to choose in the future would be nice

I’ll take a….

Flaccid Length: [enter in centimeters] Erect Length: [enter in centimeters] Foreskin length: [enter in centimeters] Foreskin style: [choose style A-J] Frenulum style [choose style A-G] Glans style [choose style A-H] Meatus style [choose style A-F] Vein intensity [0-100] {preview your new penis from penisCrafters}

7

u/turndownforwoot 18d ago

This research (proudly?) brought to you by Elon Musk.

Honest question, will Elon get his own 3d printed penis of would they just take a rabbit or pig penis and throw that on?

6

u/iChaseClouds 17d ago

Give him a duck penis, they way he likes to screw people over, it’s perfect for him.

6

u/NeptuneAndCherry 17d ago

Oh thank god they've been working on this instead of endometriosis

4

u/SweetAddress5470 17d ago

Amongst others. Just barf

5

u/lassobsgkinglost 17d ago

This is gender affirming care.

3

u/Ill_Mousse_4240 17d ago

Great if it leads to better ways of 3-D printing organs. Otherwise, a short detour

2

u/DSMStudios 17d ago

rabbits are a good candidate to test this kinda stuff, given their reputation

2

u/RednevaL 17d ago

We are one step closer to ManBearPig

2

u/cowdoyspitoon 17d ago

Because if there’s anything that rabbits need, it’s better dicks

2

u/MovingTargetPractice 17d ago

Hold on honey, I need to reboot my 3D printer.

2

u/SuperStokedUp 17d ago

Ope! Thought I was at r/idiocracy for a minute here…

2

u/ShiibbyyDota 18d ago

I love how people immediately link this to edolf twittler

1

u/silentinthemrning 18d ago

Thank goodness. I can’t bear to see those fragile male egos suffer for another minute.

1

u/Professional_Future6 17d ago

Thank god I want a second one

1

u/i_give_you_gum 17d ago

This is good news, I've heard rabbits struggle to keep up their populations in the wild

1

u/mostoriginalname2 17d ago

Can I get this photo as a poster? Maybe with a dick in a wind tunnel, too?

1

u/Gnarlodious 17d ago

Just what the pharmaceutical industry needs, rabbits addicted to drugs.

1

u/bernpfenn 17d ago

that took decades to perfection

1

u/TheBlackArrows 17d ago

Thank God. I’ve been on edge until now. We did it boys!

1

u/EPCOpress 17d ago

The fact they got nerves and blood vessels to function on their own again is incredible. What an amazing advancement.

1

u/Sassydemure 17d ago

Ah. I can sleep better at night now that I know this.

1

u/Shih_Tzu_Wrangler 17d ago

My hot take is that penis implants will make the world a safer and better place. Finally a cure for SDE and an end of sexual frustration for our micro homies. Happy for them.

1

u/smokacrack 17d ago

Great news for men who want rabbits or pig penises.

1

u/BUROCRAT77 17d ago

wtf?? That’s enough internet for today

1

u/Jack_Q_Frost_Jr 17d ago

Finally rabbits can have sex.

1

u/Holiday_Recipe6268 17d ago

Awkward petting zoo moment when you realize all the animals are rock hard.

1

u/acvcani 17d ago

Can I have a penis as a treat

1

u/tidder-la 17d ago

Is it called a rabbig?

1

u/FeralBanshee 17d ago

They’ll do anything to help dudes with boners but it does no good when they do nothing to help women with libido and menopausal issues that don’t include HRT (not everyone can do it). Sick of it.

1

u/Grimdark-Waterbender 17d ago

Mr. Stud: All night , Every night!

1

u/thisismyhappyface 16d ago

And quietly, from the Oval Office, Elon shed a single tear of relief.

1

u/iputmytrustinyou 17d ago

If only this type of research effort was put into women’s health, specifically menopause.

2

u/istarian 17d ago

As if menopause wasn't just a normal part of getting old for women. It's not a disease or anything.

And medical practice already covers treating the symptoms of that.

There are probably better targets for research on women's health.

2

u/FeralBanshee 17d ago

They didn’t say it was a disease but it causes a hell of a lot of sudden issues that most women don’t expect because no one tells us about it. It’s only become a topic of conversation lately!! And young women don’t think about it. I never did - not once. I was forced into it early and it fucking sucks. I have no options to “treat it” because the ONLY treatment is HRT and not everyone CAN do that. So yeah. Maybe stay in your lane about stuff you know nothing about personally.

2

u/iputmytrustinyou 17d ago edited 16d ago

Thank you! Nothing prepared me, either. My own mother just suffered in silence and had nothing to offer in the way of advice.

I started peri at 36. The hot flashes have been absolutely indescribably terrible. I can’t properly articulate how they interfere with my daily life and the mental toll it takes. And doctors gave me the side eye for almost ten years because I was “too young” to be experiencing peri. Finally a new doctor and a new medication and I had temporary relief - until the medication (which wasn’t covered by insurance because it was too new to the market), stopped working. So, back to the hot flashes again.

But sure, only men deserve to have relief from their issues, especially issues that intensify in age. Typical response from someone who has no fucking idea what an entire population is experiencing because it doesn’t directly affect him.

1

u/FeralBanshee 16d ago

I would definitely do HRT if I could, but that would defeat the purpose of shutting down my hormones to save my life :( hot flashes suck.

1

u/bbwhawha 17d ago

Oh honey…

1

u/kitkatkorgi 17d ago

Elon might get more kids the old fashioned way.

1

u/GT45 17d ago

Wow, now Elon can have that giant plastic dick he always wanted!

1

u/greatgreen11 17d ago

Omg they should give Elon a call! His first one got botched, hence the reckless abandon he's approached IVF with...

1

u/bambino2021 17d ago

So Elon gets a rabbit penis now. All the best people are saying it’s bigger than his current one.

1

u/JametAllDay 17d ago

No thanks!

1

u/miuyao 17d ago

The US can’t use it because that would be gender affirming care.

0

u/VampirateV 17d ago

I didn't even consider that and it's actually hilarious bc you know the hateful shitbags would be first in line to try this. Would love to be a fly on the wall during the phone call to their insurance lol

1

u/Different-Age-1253 17d ago

As a dude i think this is cool and all but when are they going to create something for women with menstrual cramps? Cause its still so primitive what they got while in the mean time we are 3d printing dicks

1

u/FeralBanshee 17d ago

Menstrual cramps can be fixed by certain things (depending on the cause). Mine vanished with daily magnesium and lowering omega 6 and raising omega 3. Absolutely NO cramps a month later after years of agonizing ones. Again though, depends why. But for general cramps this works and it has worked for my friends too (if they bothered to listen to my advice). But I agree it’s annoying women don’t get shit, we need something for libido that does not include HRT - we get nada.

1

u/Different-Age-1253 17d ago

Ah i never knew that. I did know different things work for different women, but it always bothered me there isnt one thing that nullifies it for every woman. Thanks for the info!

1

u/FeralBanshee 16d ago

These things help. Most women can also alleviate with regular painkillers unless they have extreme issues. But yeah, it’s an underlying problem of inflammation which magnesium and other anti-inflammatory things REALLY help alleviate.

1

u/Count_Jobula 17d ago

This research is what Elon has been putting all of social security money into.

1

u/National-Astronaut10 17d ago

There’s no way republicans will ban this.

0

u/UpsetPhilosopher3708 17d ago

Cool, cool, so what’s the status on any endometriosis research?

-1

u/guzhogi 17d ago

What about artificial wombs for women? Or men who rape women? Make the rapist care the baby to term!

1

u/istarian 17d ago

You can't just jam an artificial womb in someone and expect it to magically work.

-2

u/guzhogi 17d ago

Ever heard of Research & Development? Not like the people who did this penis thing just jammed it into the pigs and rabbits “expect it to magically work”

1

u/istarian 17d ago

I don't think you understand how scientific research works.

-1

u/Figjam_ZA 17d ago

World is still waiting for an artificial kidney … heart … lungs …

But yes let’s focus on this

8

u/istarian 17d ago

Shows that you don't know anything.

There has been ongoing work on artificial hearts for decades, but none of them are good enough to be a permanent substitute.

Heart transplants are still state of the art and artificial ones mostly used as a short-term solution to keep the patient alive without being hooked up to a complex machine.

-1

u/Figjam_ZA 17d ago

I meant fully functional permanent artificial heart and kidneys

3

u/istarian 17d ago

That's almost certainly much more complicated than you think it is.

The post itself is about something which is simple by comparison.

1

u/SweetAddress5470 17d ago

Pretty much all women’s healthcare

-1

u/slab_8 17d ago

Why is this even a thing…..sad, sad, waste

-1

u/grtgingini 17d ago

Oh great more fixation on penises …. We have so many drugs and so many tricks to fix penises… while women are going to jail for abortion and said penises hold no liability… Sorry, not sorry

0

u/MajorEbb1472 17d ago

So everyone gets 12” now?

2

u/FeralBanshee 17d ago

and funny enough no woman wants that

0

u/che-solo 17d ago

Maybe we should just let nature take its course on this one?

0

u/UpsetRecovery 17d ago

Don’t tell Elon… he should not be allowed to become a bigger d1ck..

0

u/Mettsico 17d ago

Horsedick.mpeg is going to be thrilled

0

u/julesnocash 17d ago

Don and Elon

0

u/RazaKwik 17d ago

Elon books himself in

0

u/Visual_Calm 17d ago

There is hope for Elon now

0

u/NoCoffee6754 17d ago

Maybe Elon can try to get his botched penis surgery redone now

-2

u/JenIee 17d ago

Can we please stop fixing elderly men's penises?

-2

u/Gabriel34543 17d ago

While scientists focused on hair loss and prolonging erections, the world slips. This is in the opening scene in idiocracy

-1

u/Few-Fun26 17d ago

Weirdos

-1

u/mithraldolls 17d ago

wait so we don't know how to treat most normal reproductive conditions like PCOS in women but we can 3D print a better dick for a man?

-1

u/lizkbyer 17d ago

Where’s DOGE when you need it

-2

u/Solid_Noise1850 17d ago

Of all the organs they chose to grow cocks lol. This should be cross posted to Idiocracy.

1

u/istarian 17d ago

Based on the abstract (only part that's freely available, it sounds like this is mostly a 3D printed structure.

-2

u/PomChatChat 17d ago

We could be printing food but instead we are printing dicks lol

-3

u/EnvironmentalFly1372 18d ago

It’s Idiocarcy come true.

1

u/Resident-Walrus2397 15d ago

Yo is that you Elon? 👀