JTF.ORG Forum
General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: Sarah on January 17, 2008, 03:17:38 PM
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Experiments to create Britain’s first embryos that merge human and animal material will begin within months after a Government watchdog today approved two research teams to carry out the controversial work.
Scientists at King’s College London and the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne will now inject human DNA into empty eggs from cows, to create embryos known as cytoplasmic hybrids that are 99.9 per cent human in genetic terms.
The experiments are intended to provide insights into diseases such as Parkinson’s and spinal muscular atrophy by producing stem cells containing genetic defects that contribute to these conditions.
These will be used as cell models for investigating new approaches to treatment and for improving understanding of how embryonic stem cells develop. They will not be used in therapy, and it is illegal to implant them into the womb.
The decision by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) to grant one-year licences to both teams ends more than a year of uncertainty for the researchers, who first applied for permission to start the work in the autumn of 2006.
Last January the authority deferred a decision and launched a consultation on the issue, which reported in September that the public was broadly supportive. In late November it again delayed ruling because of concerns about procedures for obtaining consent from the donors of the human DNA to be used.
While the HFEA was deliberating, the Government first proposed a ban on the creation of human-animal embryos, also known as “cybrids”, then backtracked after a revolt by scientists.
The creation of human-animal embryos will be explicitly permitted by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill currently passing through Parliament, subject to HFEA licensing. An amendment that would have blocked such research was defeated in the House of Lords on Monday by a majority of 172.
Stephen Minger, who leads the King’s team, said yesterday he was delighted that he would finally be able to start the experiments. “I am pleased that the HFEA has finally after a year and a half realised the importance that the work that we and the group from Newcastle have been licensed for,” he said.
“I am grateful to the scientific community, patient organisations and disease charities for all of the support we have received over the past 18 months. Their backing has been invaluable. This shows that the scientific community can be involved in and influence government policy.”
Lyle Armstrong, who leads the Newcastle group, said: “The award of the HFEA licence is great news. We initially applied for approval to use cow eggs as a means to understand the way they can convert skin cells into embryonic stem cells. Finding better ways to make human embryonic stem cells is the long-term objective of our work and understanding reprogramming is central to this.
“Cow eggs seem to be every bit as good at doing this job as human eggs so it makes sense to use them since they are much more readily available, but it is important to stress that we will only use them as a scientific tool and we need not worry about cells derived from them ever being used to treat human diseases.”
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/science/article3204128.ece?token=null&offset=12 (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/science/article3204128.ece?token=null&offset=12)
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NAZICROATS already exist.
8;)
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It's old news. Been done long ago.
They crossed humans with pigs and got arabs and humans with apes to get 'ummm hmmm'.
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;D Thats funny.
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It's old news. Been done long ago.
They crossed humans with pigs and got arabs and humans with apes to get 'ummm hmmm'.
LOOOOL
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Its not the best but it was only a matter of time :-\
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One time on a science board I was in a discussion about how closely related human beings are to apes in the genus Pan, and the conversation turned to whether or not it might be possible to fertilize a chimpanzee or bonobo egg with human sperm, or vice versa.
I said that it MIGHT be possible, but it would be unethical to run such a direct experiment.
Reasons I gave (among others) included the unique sanctity of human life and how we shouldn't mess with that, the probability of painful deformities in the offspring, and how it would automatically create an individual, even if the individual survived and seemed otherwise healthy, who would suffer from retardation and physical handicaps by human standards.
I was shocked at the response I got.
I had people angrily attacking me for trying to put my "religious beliefs" above science. They had a huge problem with my first argument, and argued that humans were in no way unique or special or spiritual.
I defended the unique status of human beings and I reiterated how dangerous it was to blur the lines of human and non-human like that. The liberals on the board would have none of it and insisted that I was wrong.
It was a very sad and confusing thread. We were all pretty well educated in Biology and I thought most would agree with me that humans merit a unique form of respect.
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One time on a science board I was in a discussion about how closely related human beings are to apes in the genus Pan, and the conversation turned to whether or not it might be possible to fertilize a chimpanzee or bonobo egg with human sperm, or vice versa.
I said that it MIGHT be possible, but it would be unethical to run such a direct experiment.
Reasons I gave (among others) included the unique sanctity of human life and how we shouldn't mess with that, the probability of painful deformities in the offspring, and how it would automatically create an individual, even if the individual survived and seemed otherwise healthy, who would suffer from retardation and physical handicaps by human standards.
I was shocked at the response I got.
I had people angrily attacking me for trying to put my "religious beliefs" above science. They had a huge problem with my first argument, and argued that humans were in no way unique or special or spiritual.
I defended the unique status of human beings and I reiterated how dangerous it was to blur the lines of human and non-human like that. The liberals on the board would have none of it and insisted that I was wrong.
It was a very sad and confusing thread. We were all pretty well educated in Biology and I thought most would agree with me that humans merit a unique form of respect.
That's because liberals have NO beliefs, NO morals and NO values.
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That's because liberals have NO beliefs, NO morals and NO values.
Granted, but it just really surprised me as ethics are supposed to be such an important part of scientific work.
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That's because liberals have NO beliefs, NO morals and NO values.
Granted, but it just really surprised me as ethics are supposed to be such an important part of scientific work.
If you read Adam Smith, ethics are supposed to be a part of capitalism but that hasn't been the case for several decades.
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One time on a science board I was in a discussion about how closely related human beings are to apes in the genus Pan, and the conversation turned to whether or not it might be possible to fertilize a chimpanzee or bonobo egg with human sperm, or vice versa.
I said that it MIGHT be possible, but it would be unethical to run such a direct experiment.
Reasons I gave (among others) included the unique sanctity of human life and how we shouldn't mess with that, the probability of painful deformities in the offspring, and how it would automatically create an individual, even if the individual survived and seemed otherwise healthy, who would suffer from retardation and physical handicaps by human standards.
I was shocked at the response I got.
I had people angrily attacking me for trying to put my "religious beliefs" above science. They had a huge problem with my first argument, and argued that humans were in no way unique or special or spiritual.
I defended the unique status of human beings and I reiterated how dangerous it was to blur the lines of human and non-human like that. The liberals on the board would have none of it and insisted that I was wrong.
It was a very sad and confusing thread. We were all pretty well educated in Biology and I thought most would agree with me that humans merit a unique form of respect.
That's because liberals have NO beliefs, NO morals and NO values.
Oh how right you are O0
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Something tells me this has to end quite badly. :'(
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It would be pretty weird seeing half cow half man walking around. Would probably like to sit around and snack on grass ;D
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Right now it's just going to have cow mitochondria, but that's odd enough.
I didn't have a problem with it when they were just getting sheep to make human insulin in their milk, because I thought, well, they're not really making them human, just having them produce a human body product, to save lives.
Now things are getting weirder and weirder and I don't like the way this is going one little bit.
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I remember, which I need to find some link tho, about the Germans medical experiments and breed half human half gorilla's, to create a super soldier. I am not joking either.
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Right now it's just going to have cow mitochondria, but that's odd enough.
I didn't have a problem with it when they were just getting sheep to make human insulin in their milk, because I thought, well, they're not really making them human, just having them produce a human body product, to save lives.
Now things are getting weirder and weirder and I don't like the way this is going one little bit.
Wait until industry realises it can get human/ape hybrids to do menial work for NOTHING because they're not legally human and can be 'owned' like dogs. Legalised slavery!
And if you think think the secular, goddless, amoral industry captains of today wouldn't do such a thing, you're naive.
Of course after it happens, the liberals will realise they have a solid voter base in the ape-people. So they'll be set free, given rights, affirmative action etc.......................oh wait, that's happened once already.
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I am happy. This is testamanet that the end Times are upon us, and we will be going home soon...