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Chinese Scientist Says He's First To Create Genetically Modified Babies Using CRISPR (npr.org)
For the first time, a scientist claims to have used a powerful new gene-editing technique to create genetically modified human babies. From a report: The scientist, He Jiankui of the Southern University of Science and Technology in Shenzhen, China, says he used human embryos modified with the gene-editing technique CRISPR to create twin girls. "Two beautiful little Chinese girls name Lulu and Nana came crying into the world as healthy as any other babies a few weeks ago." He says in a video posted online. "The babies are home now with their mom Grace and their dad Mark." He says his team performed "gene surgery" on embryos created from their parents' sperm and eggs to protect the children from the human immunodeficiency virus, HIV, which causes AIDS. The children' father is HIV-positive. "When Lulu and Nana were just a single cell, this surgery removed a doorway through which HIV enter to infect people," He says in the video, one of several posted online to justify and explain the work. Because the research has not yet been published in a scientific journal or carefully vetted by other scientists, many researchers and bioethicists remain cautious about the claim.
Given the multiple ways in which HIV can infect a cell this is prob BS.
http://perspectivesinmedicine.cshlp.org/content/2/8/a006866.full
In A.D. 2018
Eugenics war was beginning.
...Where did they steal the technology from?
Should have only done this to one twin, imho, it would be a great case study on side effects.
GENERATION 26: The first time you see this, copy it into your sig on any forum and add 1 to the generation.
Nana is already qualified to hold down the fort.
You'll soon be able to genetically engineer calm, productive and compliant citizens. Every engineered child will be able to attain a good social credit score with this technology. Deviance and antisocial behaviour will be eliminated from humanity!
Bring on the clones!
Want to extend your royal blood line? Just clone yourself!
I don't trust any science claims coming out of China anymore.
Parents: Grace, Mark
Are these Chinese names? Shit, am I being racist?
Politics; n. : A religion whereby man is god.
Marconi's spark radio to smartphones. A few base pair deletions to? We have no idea what is about to happen but it will be Earth shaking.
If it's not already ongoing.
Any lab assistant could do it.
Give it enough incubation time, and find something to trigger it everywhere at about the same time, and there's no stopping it.
Which, yes, isn't called a genetic nuclear bomb for nothing. Although that's still an understatement.
If true, I think this can be good for the human race. Not to make us all the same, but to make us different. It's accepted that species with wider gene diversity are more resilient. OK some of us may die because of mistakes and wrongdoing but that happens every day in our society anyway - traffic accidents, crime, war etc.
My genes are kind of soggy but hey it was either that or an atomic blast.
Will they have to have CONTAINS GMO tattoos?
Chinese Scientist Says He's First To Create Genetically Modified Babies Using CRISPR Against all international conventions not to modify human germ-line cells.
Will cannibals enact a legislation to protect their rights to biological food? Will EU castrate them to prevent dissemination?
Tell us about American public school. Tell us about your exciting career you trained for at DeVry "University".
... and we now see the re-emergence of a Master race.
Here come the Kaiju!
as China has a tendency to proclaim the most outrageous achievements in all things on a weekly basis to show the world how amazing they are :|
Exxxxxcccuuuussssseeee meeeee!
That's race-car flying saucer sex cult , bub!
the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Being offended at everything, in particular when particular section of the world have traits, doesn't help - it's a way of dumbing down.
Hey, Chinese eat a lot of Chinese food! [dats wasis!]
They also have a history of bogus scientific claims to the point where they are met with a lot of scepticsm.
The rest of slashdot don't need to be ignorant of history and pattern recognition, just because it offends babysnookums.
Hasn't been published in a peer reviewed scientific journal, probably another fake.
-- Tigger warning: This post may contain tiggers! --
From the people who brought us Tiangong-1: New, Improved, Much Better than Before Human Beings. Yeah, what could go wrong?
I'd be curious about long-term testing for these twins if they've developed true permanent HIV immunity and if they're able to pass it along to offspring. Also, if there are any unintended consequences of this modification.
Finally, we'll get genetically engineered catgirls for domestic ownership.
In the mean time, since they can already create Lulu and Nana, can they make me a Lala, Nana and Momo?
That post was by BringsApples. He was being racist. He's always posting racist shit on here. He bitches when foreigners "won't adopt the culture and assimilate" and then posts bullshit like he did when they try to assimilate. He doesn't want foreigners in america, at all, period, forget the inherent irony.
First it would be necessary to categorize anybody with altered DNA as non-humans, they give them the same legal standing as livestock
So, isn't it interesting that they created two girls??? Why I wonder...could it be due to the number of men > women by something like 40 million. So who are all those men going to seek companionship from? Well...other men of course which means that HIV will spread like wildfire. Now, with HIV resistant baby girls...in about 16 or 18 years there will be a ready crop of girls for those men to seek companionship with and they will now be immune..and of course with the men being HIV positive this will be just like their little test-tube twins.
If those 40 million men don't have companionship then what do they do...overthrow the ruling class...just food for thought.
Or maybe the grandchildren -- farmers are not allowed to breed seed.
Virus writer 101.
Grace and Mark are not Chinese names. Are Anglicized names common in Hong Kong, or are the parents from somewhere else?
Since humanity has pretty much overridden many of the facets of natural selection in the human race with our medical technologies, gene editing like this is probably about the only way we're going to evolve as a species. Future generations could be free of genetic diseases, obesity, and have extended life spans. Assuming the religious nuts don't go to war on it.
Certainly there are some ethical concerns - ie what if the modifications cause a child to be born with massive defects, extreme pain, or a short life span. The scientists performing the work will have to be very careful with the modifications they make to avoid something like that from happening, but I think as long as they take proper care in their work that it shouldn't. It's also worth asking the question, if we have the technology, is it ethical to not try and cure genetic diseases/etc and let children suffer that could otherwise have been free of illness? Certainly this case at least falls under that umbrella.
...be screaming gattaca! gattaca! ?