Genetic Mingling Mixes Human, Animal Cells

[Shallah Kali]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=624&e=5&u=/ap/human_animal_mixing

Particularly worrisome to some scientists are the nightmare scenarios that could arise from the mixing of brain cells: What if a human mind somehow got trapped inside a sheep's head?

The "idea that human neuronal cells might participate in 'higher order' brain functions in a nonhuman animal, however unlikely that may be, raises concerns that need to be considered," the academies report warned.

In January, an informal ethics committee at Stanford University endorsed a proposal to create mice with brains nearly completely made of human brain cells. Stem cell scientist Irving Weissman said his experiment could provide unparalleled insight into how the human brain develops and how degenerative brain diseases like Parkinson's progress.

Stanford law professor Hank Greely, who chaired the ethics committee, said the board was satisfied that the size and shape of the mouse brain would prevent the human cells from creating any traits of humanity. Just in case, Greely said, the committee recommended closely monitoring the mice's behavior and immediately killing any that display human-like behavior.

My Grandfather has Parkinsons but I don't want this sort of experimentation to go on! This is the stuff of horror sci/fi movies {SHUDDER}

[MisterP]

1. wow, immoral in TWO directions!

[Justin54B20L]

2. "What are we going to do tonight, Brain?"

Narf!

[passy]

11. "Take over the world!, Pinky. AH HA AH" Thanks for the laugh

This must be the best reply I have ever read in DU, it perfectly illustrates the absurdity of the world we live in.
When cartoons become reality! What ever next?

[Maple]

3. I'm looking forward to

talking dogs.

[Geo55]

4. Now that they're getting a handle

on the building blocks of life....it has the potential to get very strange.
They're puttin' human cells in plants.

[Maple]

5. Oooh beauty!

And not, I note, the first time the human race has thought of this

[Spinzonner]

6. What's the big deal

we have a jackass in a human body ruining - er, running - the country

[Geo55]

7. Ahhh, yes....the jackass gene....they got it workin' real well in that boy

[AgadorSparticus]

34. ROFLMAO!!!!! you made morning (ok. morning to me, anyways)

:rofl: :rofl::rofl::rofl: :rofl::rofl:

[AlienGirl]

8. Immediately kill any that show human-like behavior?!

Why do they think it would be more ethical to kill a mouse with human-like traits than to let it live? Wouldn't the mouse's human-like behavior mean it would be *more* wrong to kill him than to kill a normal mouse?

Tucker

[sharonking21]

15. Seems like that to me too (NT)

[brainshrub]

26. I was just thinking the same thing.

If a human consciousness was in a mouse body, then wouldn't it be murder? Exactly what would be defined as a "human-like" traits?

Off the top of my head, I can only think of two:

1) The ability to do math
2) The desire to create art

I'm was about to write: The desire to worship, but how do we know that other animals don't worship?

[reprobate]

27. They don't want it to reproduce, passing on the traits to a new generation

[norml]

9. What is the law?

“Not to go on all-fours; that is the Law. Are we not Men? “Not to suck up Drink; that is the Law. Are we not Men? “Not to eat Fish or Flesh; that is the Law. Are we not Men? “Not to claw the Bark of Trees; that is the Law. Are we not Men? “Not to chase other Men; that is the Law. Are we not Men?”

http://www.bartleby.com/1001/12.html

[WildClarySage]

13. No. We are DEVO.

[MisterP]

10. more complete version here:

http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/science/04/29/human.animal.mixing.ap/index.html
Long live our chimp suprematism!

[blindpig]

12. paging Dr Moreau, paging Dr Moreau....................n/t

[norml]

33. Are we not men?

“Not to go on all-fours; that is the Law. Are we not Men? “Not to suck up Drink; that is the Law. Are we not Men? “Not to eat Fish or Flesh; that is the Law. Are we not Men? “Not to claw the Bark of Trees; that is the Law. Are we not Men? “Not to chase other Men; that is the Law. Are we not Men?”

http://www.bartleby.com/1001/12.html

[zanne]

14. PLEASE don't give cats human brains!

Their quest for global domination would be complete!

[sharonking21]

16. And, think of it

they probably know where you live.

[Shallah Kali]

30. I am with Mark Twain on this

"If man could be crossed with the cat, it would improve man but deteriorate the cat." As for global domination I don't think they are interested. It would be too much effort. It is much better to take a nap :)

[KlatooBNikto]

17. What if the blood/brain barrier that protects us from viruses that attack

animals is breached and we become vulnerable to unknown diseases?

[frustrated_lefty]

19. Speaking as a person who works and plays with viruses

on a daily basis, I honestly think you're more justified in worrying about infection by:

Influenza
Hepatitis
HIV1 or 2
Bovine spongieform encephalitis (not a virus....a prion, but a growing danger).
Even worse, antiobiotic resistant bacteria...that's going to be one hell of a dilemma within the next 10-20 years.

As I've stated elsewhere, mice have had their thymuses replaced with human tissue. The likelihood of expanding the tropism of a murine virus is kinda low. It's easy and entertaining to conjecture about "what if," but the reality is there's already enough bugs in existence to worry about.

[KlatooBNikto]

20. You may be right.But, the numerous screwups including shipping the

Flu virus all over the world, does not give me any confidence.Add to that the crazies at PNAC are advocating genetic warfare techniques with the creation of organisms that attack specific genotypes.Essentially a race war waged with viruses. We have indeed come a long way.

[frustrated_lefty]

25. We agree to an extent.

We're both concerned about influenza.

I wouldn't be at all surprised to discover those crazy f%$@s at the PNAC were supporting research aimed at designing race-specific viruses.

It ain't gonna happen in our lifetimes. I don't doubt there are people who would want to achieve such a monstrous end. But, I think, humankind lacks the technological know-how to achieve it. There are plenty of ideas which would work in theory, and I will not describe a single one of the ideas which occur to me. But, in every vein of study I perceive, the theory can't really be borne out. This makes me happy, but I also worry some crazy bastard will see the same connections and make the attempt.

[frustrated_lefty]

18. While this may sound like a science-fiction nightmare,

it really isn't that big a deal. Mice have been produced whose thymuses are comprised of human tissue. The mice didn't mutate into horrific creatures.

Also, note, this is a guy working on stem cell research. Mice are a valid model system for this line of work. And, there has been talk of injecting pig neuronal stem cells into the human brain. Does anyone REALLY think this process would turn a human into a creature with pig-like behavior?

[gorbal]

22. You haven't met the right mice.

I keep running into these frighteningly intellegent looking mice that don't run from me and openly point at my refrigerator.

[frustrated_lefty]

24. I hear ya, man.

They cluster around me in thousands and say they've unionized, demanding better food and benefits. All I can do sometimes is curl, whimpering in a corner, muttering "the horror, the horror."

[Shallah Kali]

29. What of this allowing flu viruses to mutate into strains that effect human

or that are harder on humans? Is this not the problem with the asian bird flu - that close contact between humans and birds allowed this version of the flu to mutate from something that only effected birds to something that is dangerous to humans?

[bobthedrummer]

21. Last weekend it was announced on the BBC that a rice product contain-

ing human genetic component from the liver was in the market.
Rice with a human gene.

[Shallah Kali]

31. GM fears as human liver gene is put into rice

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/04/25/wgm25.xml&sSheet=/news/2005/04/25/ixworld.html

Scientists have begun mixing human genes with rice in an attempt to take genetically modified crops to the next level.

Researchers have inserted into rice a gene from the human liver that produces an enzyme which is good at breaking down harmful chemicals in the human body.

They hope the enzyme, CYP2B6, will do the same to herbicides and pollutants when combined with rice.

But anti-GM campaigners say using human genes will scare off consumers worried about cannibalism and the idea of scientists playing God.

Hannible Lecter would be so happy {shudder}

[lonestarnot]

23. Oh Joseph Mingle 'em!

[reprobate]

28. Now THAT was funny. Thanks for the Saturday morning laugh

[AngryWhiteLiberal]

32. Say NO to genetic tests on Repukes!

It's best to leave the human-animal hybrids alone!

JB