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Human-Mouse Hybrids?
scientistguy writes "There is a remarkable story by Nicholas Wade in the early
morning edition of the New York Times about a discussion to create human-mouse
hybrid organisms. One of these techniques involves the introduction of genetically altered mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells (e.g. with
genes 'knocked-out' or replaced) into a developing mouse blactocyst to create progeny hybrid organisms. Typically, these progeny organisms are then bred to unaltered mice to see
if the genetic alteration has gone germline or is heritable. If heritable, mice can be bred and
animals which are homozygous for the altered gene can be phenotypically examined as long as the manipulation is not homozygous lethal or cause
sterility in a single copy state. Unless using
blastocysts from immunologically crippled mice, there would most likely be a recognition of non-self by murine immune cells not educated (which haven't seen during their development) to the human cells that would wipe them out. Nonetheless, it's amazing that it's
being contemplated due to the ethical implications of such an experiment. What if it were viable? What if there were more than just a few
human cells? Could it be sacrificed? ... or even experimented on further if part 'human'? Perhaps these
types of experiments are best relegated to little known, deserted islands far
away from the reaches of civilization (or perhaps regulation) ..."
Oh god, don't let the furries hear about this, they'll be jumnping at the chance to turn themselves into hybrid wolf/skunk/mouse/cat people!
.....frikkin' furries........
May you be touched by His Noodly Appendage. RAmen.
overall, you make some great points.
Now for a minor nitpick:
genetic engineering of food has the potential to solve or at least lessen the ongoing starvation of millions (while we continue to worry about whether we should upgrade to the latest video card...).
As an engineer, I'm always troubled when people think you can solve (or lessen) mass starvation by simply feeding the people who are starving. In parts of Africa and India there are more people than the local agriculture can support. As soon as you start bringing food in they start making babies like crazy and before long you've reached your equilibrium state again of too many people not enough food. The solution is fewer people, not more food. (Not much of a solution, admittedly)
The British tried to solve mass starvation (mass starvation is so uncivilized!) by throwing food at it in India back in (I think) the 1800's - it didn't turn out well.
If you want to equate "pro-Life" with "American" and you feel your fellow Americans will agree with you, it is all right with me. And I believe you know that after repeating this for some time, it will be pretty easy, by associating "American" with "Patriot", to associate "Pro-Life" with "Patriot". From there it is ridiculously easy to equate "Abortion" with "un-Patriot" or "Traitor" and you already have the laws to deal with it in place.
Just be careful to keep your problems inside your borders. Just don't send armies of missionaries around the world to inform us ignorant savages about how your God will send all abortitionists to ethernal fire. Because as much as you would like to pretend it is not a religious problem, but some sort of "human rights" problems, your rethoric can deceive just so much. Equating "American" with "Human Rights Defender" will surely get you a lot of good laughs in the civilised parts of the world - little more. (or, to be fancy, we still remember, we who dwell, in this far lands beneath the trees, the flashlight of American guns...)