I read this article today, and I found it interesting, yet disturbing at the same time... Makes me ask, how much of an animal do we have to replace for it to be a human? (yes I know humans are part of the animal family, but you understand the quasi-logic of my question)
Excellent article: I'm against human cloning, however-- I don't have a loved one dying from a disease that could be helped by the use of stem cells so I try to keep an open mind. This article frightens me but I'm trying to see it subjectively/objectively: perhaps it makes me uneasy because it's a new idea to me.
I mix up animal and human cells every Friday night with my donner kebab. With extra chilli sauce obviously.
I'm all for it. Genetic engineering, cloning, animal genes, stem cells research....anything that makes things better. Of course there will be some short term setbacks like three legged babies and such but in the end only way to go. Why stand in the way of progress Man-Beast Hybrids On The Way - Human DNA In Cow Egg By Scott Foster The Edmonton Journal http://nationalpost.com 8-22-1 Melding man and beast may sound like the stuff of science fiction, but it's not. Amid all the advances in genetic manipulation, the idea of combining the DNA of animals and humans has gone beyond the talking stage -- it's been attempted. Indeed, many scientists and academics are wondering how far it might go and what the ethical implications would be. If a human were crossed with a chimpanzee, for example, would it still be human? And if not, then what would it be? The first publicized case of animal-human hybrids took place in 1996 when Jose Cibelli, a scientist at the University of Massachusetts, took DNA from his white blood cells by swabbing the inside of his cheek. He then inserted the DNA sample into a hollowed-out cow egg. Cibelli's experiment came to an end after a week of growing the cell mass, he told scientists earlier this month at a panel meeting of the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, D.C. This raised the question of what might have emerged had the cell mass continued to develop. "As far as we know, it would still look like a human being, but some of the characteristics of individual cells might be slightly different," said James Cross, a molecular biologist at the University of Calgary who attended the meeting. If such an embryo could develop, he said, the result would resemble a human being but carry bovine mitochondria, the energy-producing component of every cell. This is because the cow's egg shell, or cytoplasm, contains genetic materials known as mitochondrial DNA. "This suggests that we can create new human-animal species," said Jeremy Rifkin, biotechnology critic and president of the Washington-based Foundation on Economic Trends. Rifkin called the experiment "the most extraordinary single development in the history of biotechnology." Such experiments have become public only when the makers of hybrids, who fund their operations through investor capital, apply to patent their inventions. In partnership with Massachusetts-based Advanced Cell Technology, Cibelli came out from under a shroud of secrecy in 1998 when the firm applied to patent the alleged invention. Last October, Greenpeace Germany dug up a patent claim for a similar human-animal hybrid, only this time it involved a pig. U.S.-based Biotransplant and Australia-based Stem Cell Sciences grew a pig-human embryo to 32 cells before ending its life. "If the embryo had lived, it would be 95% human," said Michael Khoo, a genetic engineering campaigner for Greenpeace's Toronto branch. "The possibilities are not only frightening, but it's unknown just how many other similar patent applications are out there." Meanwhile, critics and futurists are having a field day speculating on the future of biotechnology. "Chimpanzees share between 95% and 98% of our genes, so the prospect of creating a human-chimpanzee hybrid are highly probable," Rifkin said. "The question becomes: What percentage of human genes will it take before human rights kick in? Would a hybrid have to look and talk like a human before it can get human rights?" While the concept of making and owning such a creation for 20 years under patent law is controversial to say the least, the science behind combining animal eggs and human DNA could be useful, said Cross. "In the case of Dolly, it took 277 eggs to get the sheep. In normal IVF programs, the number of eggs you get usually ranges between five and 10. So, to solve a potential shortage, some scientists have considered using an egg from a different species to house human DNA." While such an attempt to improve the egg supply may be scientifically possible, people are not ready for such a brave new world which involves crossing the species barrier, said Diane Cox, who chairs the medical genetics department at the University of Alberta. "Right now, technology is way ahead of ethics. The Canadian population is worried enough about relatively trivial things, let alone such a bizarre concept."
Not yet. My understanding of the religion is when one dies you are taught the way of the mormon beliefs and then you can go to one of the three levels of heaven (but never to the very highest level, that's reserved for the most devout lifetime memebers).
oh... my understanding is that they own a huge geneology database, they hold a few artifacts of christ, and they have big stakes in a few biotechnology firms
Well i'm not going by any religious conviction, and i think it's a recipe for disaster. (In terms of the bigger picture / long term effects on the gene pool.)
I'm Presbyterian. Anyway, I used to do research on hand transplantation for amputees (prior to the first hand transplant from cadaver to amputee) and know some things about the current difficulties in graft rejection. Tissue engineering of an unlimited number of harvestable organs for people with failing organs or disease would be a major breakthrough and could even result in extending the human lifespan. As far as the more bizzare things they are talking why not? Cats have better vision than humans why not improve human vision if possible. Also it would be nice to see more white people playing basketball.
