Cloning Yields Human-Rabbit Hybrid Embryo

ralphb writes "Here is the story of scientists in China who have, for the first time, used cloning techniques to create hybrid embryos that contain a mix of DNA from both humans and rabbits. Hop on over for a look!"

Comments

This is just the sort of thing...

[BJZQ8]

This is just the sort of thing that will catch the attention of do-gooder congressmen and get things like cloning research completely banned...If they do things like this, they should keep it quiet, not get it out into the mainstream of public opinion where people can jump (or maybe hop-hop-hop) to conclusions and phone their congressman.

Stem Cells

[darkstar949]

Judgeing from the artical they might have found a better way to get stem cells for research. However, now instead of having to deal with just people that are anti-cloning or anti-stem cell research, you would also have to deal with the animal rights activists because of the retrevial of the eggs, and the undertermined status of the cells after they are created.
So in the short run it is posibly a better way to get stem cells, in the long run it will raise alot of ethical concerns, as well as the undermined nature of the cell - in short we don't know if they are "true" stem cells in their ablity to grow into any organ. Also, if they do have the potenital to become any organ, we don't know how the human body would react to the foegin DNA (the rabit mitocadria)

Re:Why?

[vidarh]

You don't need rabbit-human hybrids. However, medical researchers do need stem cells to pursue a huge number of research goals, including growing new organs, repairing damaged tissue, regrowing nerves etc. That research is being hampered by concerns from a lot of groups about harvesting stemcells from aborted embryos. Hence this research to create an alternative source of stem cells.

In other words, this IS important research, that has the potential of providing important material for research projects that might take medical science huge leaps forwards.

We all should have read the damn article

[aug24]

The 'perceived benefit' you can't see is eventually to create a source of stem cells without using aborted foetuses.

This kind of knee-jerk 'this is bad/immoral/whatever' comment, even though you clearly didn't finish (start?) reading the article is exactly the kind of piss-poor commentary that prevents science doing good.

J.

Cell mass != viable organism

[FuzzyDaddy]

One thing to keep in mind about embryonic development is that it progresses in stages, and different genes kick in at different stages. Just because cells divide in a petri dish, or progress to some stage of development, is not an indication that it will develop into a viable organism.

For example, if a human embryo with three of a given chromosome is formed, depending on which chromosome it forms on, the embryo may either fail to develop past the 8 cell stage, or develop into a 10 week fetus and die, or develop longer and die, but never become viable outside the womb. Down's syndrome is unique in that it and sex chromosome triploidies are the only triploidies that are compatible with life. Other triploidies result in miscarriage or failure to implant.

Unfortunately, I had to learn about this the hard way.