The researchers studied how separating single cells from two-cell pig embryos can improve the development of embryos produced in a lab. They found that separating the cells increased the number of embryos that developed into blastocysts, which are early-stage embryos. Even though the separated embryos had fewer inner cell mass and outer cell layers, they still developed well. The separated cells also showed changes in gene expression related to cell organization. When both cells from a pair developed into blastocysts, one had more cells than the other. This method could be helpful for preserving rare pig breeds with limited embryo numbers for successful transfers.