Plans for human-cow embryo

Scientist in Newcastle have injected DNA, taken from the cell of a mouse, into a cows egg to create an embryo. Does this sound like science fiction? If not, then lets take a look at what scientist are wanting to do next.
Scientist are now wanting to create embryos which are part human and part cow.
The problem with using human eggs is that they are hard to obtain, as well as questions of ethics that are raised when considering doing such an experiment.



The question mainly appears to be of ethics, as a priest pointed out in the video, is it possible that human rights will deteriorate if such projects are accepted and become the norm?

It appears science will move ahead regardless of any of the religious ethical concerns.
The question is do we want to stick our head in the sand and deny what is inevitable, allowing it to take place in the shadows in secret labratories, while keeping the feeling that the world is continuing as we know it?

Or do we want to go along with science and embrace it for what it has to offer us, dangers and all, knowing that sooner or later such technologies will be exploited, and that if such technology is in the open - not being pushed underground by fear, then we have a stronger possiblity of keeping our "human freedoms".
And, lastly, we may start to understand the rights of others more clearly, dropping nationalism, prejudices, and even extend rights beyond that to those not even of our own species.

Related News Links:
BBC Article

[edit on 7-11-2006 by dAlen]

[edit on 8-11-2006 by UM_Gazz]

Interesting, I don't doubt that they can do it, will do it, or maybe even have at least fused some sort of species with another...

I for one am not sure if I would want to see the results but I can't help but be curious. What would it look like? Of course its face would look part human and part cow but would it have four feet or two? Would it walk upright? Would it even have fingers?

People with 'anything goes as long as it makes me better off' social mores are all for this kind of stuff. But the rest of us can see the inevitable monsters that will be created and released down the road especially since we are just experimenting and are not comfortable with the technology or what it's implications are for us all.

I think this is a great idea... Imagine having a stock animal that uses human organs and blood to survive. No more shortages of anything for anybody, anywhere. People who have problems with experimentation don't realize that without it we would still be using technology from hundreds, if not thousands, of years ago.

Wow, I want to see this. Of course my watching various Sci-Fi movies should tell me that this is a bad idea (Return of Swamp Thing, Alien Reserection, Island of Doctor Moreau)

Would they bring the thing to term? Birth it? Would it survive? How would it eat? Would it have 1, 2, 3, or 4 stomachs? hooves or hands? Freaky bone structure?

So many questions?

I don't know enough of the subject matter but what major differences are there between the eggs of different species? It's the DNA that decides the creature that grows, is it not? So if human DNA were injected into a cow egg, for what reason would it develop into anything but a human?

First, there are massive ethical problems in considering the creation of any chimera (human/animal) species.

Second, can you think of a better way to guarantee the widespread dissemination of not just Mad Cow disease, but many other infectious and genetic problems?

The original suggestion to use cow ovaries for this project was probably funded by slaughterhouses, as a cheap way to dump leftover viscera. Not a good idea.

The resulting embryo would be 99.9% human; the only bovine element would be DNA outside the nucleus of the cell.

...

The aim would be to extract stem cells from the embryo when it is six days old, before destroying it.

So, at least so far, no fields of weird bovine-human clones running amuk. They (so far) will not be allowed to grow past 6 days.. (I hafta wonder what anti-abortion people think about this..)

The thing that caught my eye was :

Professor Robin Lovell-Badge, head of developmental genetics, National Institute for Medical Research, said: "This is a very rational step: to learn what you can using animal eggs, which are readily obtainable, before moving on to valuable human eggs when or if this becomes necessary."

When or if this becomes necessary?? What, exactly, would make it necessary to harvest human eggs to grow in a lab?? (See, this is where the sci-fi movies kick in for me.. that 'when' that comes before 'if'.... it smacks of some heretofore (publically) unseen twist of events... me no likey...)

They would be bovine humans, they'd be minotaurs. At least if Greek mythology were to be based even remotely on any sort of fact. Who knows maybe the minotaur was an experiment in human/ hybrid cloning.

How long before we see Half man/half bull GM soldiers,designed to kill without remorse?
I bet these sorts of thing are being worked on right now in some secret facilities.
What we hear about in the media is only the tip of the iceberg i think.

I rarely post a personal opinion on religious/social matters, but in this case I'll make an exception.

I don't think that scientists cloning people and splicing our genes with animals is in any way a good thing.

We should draw the line at this, this is nothing more than playing God, and even though this is a serious issue, it reminds me of a joke.

A scientist comes to God and says "Listen God, we don't really need you anymore, I have figured out how to do everything you did, including create a man out of dirt"

God says "Thats interesting, show me what you can do"

The scientist proceeds to pile together some dirt, which God immediately stops and says "No no no, get your own dirt buddy."

Great joke DRbone,
Made me think-if God made us "in his own image",then we are really just messing around with what he used to mess with,IE creating life...
Still,i agree with you-we should not be doing these sorts of experiments.

I say go with it, forget what religion says. Because, let's be honest, if we listened to everything religion tells us, we wouldn't advance in anything!

The reward, in this case, is worth taking a risk for. The medical advances would be huge, thousands of lives could probably be saved as a result.

Originally posted by Zanzibar
I say go with it, forget what religion says. Because, let's be honest, if we listened to everything religion tells us, we wouldn't advance in anything!

The reward, in this case, is worth taking a risk for. The medical advances would be huge, thousands of lives could probably be saved as a result.

Heres the trick.

I say go for it also...lets push science for all its worth.
In saying that, however, it must be realized that those who have the money and means to push science typically could be considered malevolent in nature.
Those who would be somewhat benevolent typically do not seem to be the ones in charge.
(Benevolent superficially, no matter how well you decieve people doesnt count. )

So the argument has risent to say supress such advances in science in order to keep the powers that be in check. But would we safely assume that those who have power would not do such experiements in secret? Would it not be better to have it in the open...even more so to have a chance for others to potentially benefit from sciences advances.

Now the whole bit about the cow...I say leave it be.
Why even go that route. There are human stem cells beyond that from a fetus, that can be used...from ones on body, or from the blood of the umbilical cord. There are ethical ways of collecting stem cells without having to grow mutant babies.
(Again the article does not suggest they are growing them past but an early stage, but Im sure the point is taken well)

As for religion, I personally do not hold to any religion as what would typically be dictated by the norm. That is one means of control. But since this is not the religouis forum, I will stop there with that comment.

Peace

Dalen

Originally posted by dAlen
Scientist in Newcastle have injected DNA, taken from the cell of a mouse, into a cows egg to create an embryo. Does this sound like science fiction?

No. It sounds like they are taking dna and injecting it into a cleared out egg for cloning.

as a priest pointed out in the video, is it possible that human rights will deteriorate if such projects are accepted and become the norm?

Who cares what a preist says? Why should he be an authority on the matter? Who's to say he even understands what the scientists are actually doing? The fact that he's worried that the hypothetical clone's rights would be in question seems to show that he doesn't. THe onyl part of this person that would be a 'cow' is some their mitochondrial dna. Last I checked, there's no mention of mitchondrial dna in any consitution or discussion on rights.

It appears science will move ahead regardless of any of the religious ethical concerns.[/quote[]
Which is pretty much how everything operates. Churches, laboratories, factories, governments, etc.

There are ethical ways of collecting stem cells without having to grow mutant babies.

What is unethical about inserting the human genome into a cow egg cell?

Techsnow
I for one am not sure if I would want to see the results

Why? It'd look like any other human. Its genome would be a human genome, with the exception of some of its mitochondria, which would be replicated from the mitochondria in the cow egg. Heck, they might even remove the cow mitochondria and replace them with human ones.

apc
So if human DNA were injected into a cow egg, for what reason would it develop into anything but a human?

You are correct, it'd essentially be a human.

Uphill
First, there are massive ethical problems in considering the creation of any chimera (human/animal) species.

Chimeras are also mixes between different animal species.

Second, can you think of a better way to guarantee the widespread dissemination of not just Mad Cow disease, but many other infectious and genetic problems?

Yeah, I can. Considering that cow eggs aren't infected with mad cow disease, and that the genes in the egg are human, not cow, genes.

diseria
What, exactly, would make it necessary to harvest human eggs to grow in a lab??

If we are going to have therapuetic technology from this, then it'd be necessary.

drbones666
We should draw the line at this, this is nothing more than playing God

Why? If we can alter a gene to cure a disease, whats wrong with that?

"No no no, get your own dirt buddy."

Silcone Synapse
Made me think-if God made us "in his own image",then we are really just messing around with what he used to mess with,IE creating life...

Thats a pretty big if and a pretty silly reason to not do something, don't ya think?

Originally posted by Nygdan

Silcone Synapse
Made me think-if God made us "in his own image",then we are really just messing around with what he used to mess with,IE creating life...

Thats a pretty big if and a pretty silly reason to not do something, don't ya think?

When you put it like that,yes it is.
I hope this leads to some positive things,but I jut worry about certain types messing around in secret labs here and there.