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Chinese Scientists Claim To Have Genetically Modified Human Embryos

Posted by samzenpus on from the super-babies dept.

Annanag writes: There were rumours — but now it's been confirmed. Chinese scientists have attempted the ethically questionable feat of genetically modifying human embryos. The scientists try to head off ethical concerns by using 'non-viable' embryos, which cannot result in a live birth, obtained from local fertility clinics. The study is a landmark — but also a cautionary tale.

9 of 182 comments (clear)

  1. Cautionary Tale? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Why is this a cautionary tale? What horrific outcome did they have that we are supposed to learn from?

    1. Re:Cautionary Tale? by Austerity+Empowers · · Score: 4, Insightful

      We haven't even established the "ethically questionable" part. Sounds like more neo-ludditism by people who are afraid of science or progress. We should all be born crippled by billions of years of evolutionary baggage as God intended, I guess.

    2. Re:Cautionary Tale? by NotInHere · · Score: 4, Interesting

      This stuff is all good as long as its well documented which genes were changed and why. Because copyright (or patents) (or even (worst of all) trade secrets) on human DNA is the worst thing that can happen to our human society. We don't want only the well born to have better genes. But of course this won't happen. There will be a strong gene copyright lobby, and it will demand DNA to be copyrightable, to make research pay off.

      Also, we should think of the possible pressure future parents may be in, in giving their children the best genes. Perhaps one day (rather sooner than later) we can change genes of living humans, too, e.g. with viruses, and then at least you can revide your parent's choices about your body.

    3. Re:Cautionary Tale? by zlives · · Score: 4, Insightful

      we can't get people to immunize their kids.... good luck!!

  2. Sad state of research in the West by guruevi · · Score: 4, Insightful

    We've been hindered by what is basically a cult ideology about unborn life that we cannot do experiments like this (legally) in the west. Now China, India and countries that do not have these religious groups hindering progress are making advances in all sorts of science. It is legal to experiment on creatures that are 98% similar to us, the embryos are practically indistinguishable from ours.

    --
    Custom electronics and digital signage for your business: www.evcircuits.com
  3. So worried about Orwell we forgot about Huxley... by Shadow+of+Eternity · · Score: 4, Interesting

    A brave new world indeed.

    --
    A bullet may have your name on it but splash damage is addressed "To whom it may concern."
  4. Re:RTFA by tlambert · · Score: 5, Interesting

    2. Not only did the splicing technique not work very often (28 / 86 embryos), but it also created lots of off-target mutations in other parts of the DNA. Both of these results were not expected.

    Wrong. They only tested 54 of the embryo's afterward. 28/54 is a 51.8% success rate.

    The off-target mutations in the remaining 26 embryos was not only expected, it was predicted about 16 years ago, when we first started experimenting with retroviral splicing vectors.

  5. Smart vs. stupid by tlambert · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Stupid people tend to have a lot more kids than smart people. Citation: Idiocracy

    If the smart people let the stupid people out-breed them into extinction, are they actually the smart ones?

  6. Re:No points for second place by thesupraman · · Score: 4, Funny

    Perfect!
    Now, from what I can tell, the majority is China followed by India India. I would suspect both are pretty much good with this, and more.

    Here is my bet.
    In the good ole US of A, this will quietly/'secretly' be used to build beefier quarterbacks and taller execs.
    In Asia this will be publicly used to treat congenital diseases.

    The US will scream in horror at what Asia is doing.

    Have a nice day.