Human/animal hybrids

[Coolerthanyou]

Should they be allowed for medical research? http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6230945.stm

[krafty1]

Without knowing what the full consequences of saying yes to this question would be there will be a large percentage of people who will be unable to answer the question at all.

[Lindy]

I'm not against research, but this is just a bit toooooo Frankenstein .

[Coolerthanyou]

As I understand it, what it means is mixing the DNA of cells to research various things, like stem cells. These scientists are not proposing this for the purpose of creating mutants, but research with embryos and their cells. Something like this can potentially have great benefits for medicine, so is the fear of monsters real enough to dismiss it?

[Dies]

Without knowing what the full consequences of saying yes to this question would be there will be a large percentage of people who will be unable to answer the question at all.

Don't need to know or care to know.
This just sounds wrong period. Slippery slope stuff.

[JonC]

I'm all for it, as long as the appropriate ethics oversight is there.

[Plossl]

I'm all for it, as long as the appropriate ethics oversight is there.
Yes. I think with animal testing in general there's the belief that scientists do anything they want with the nearest stray cat or dog. There are ethical standards to meet.

What's more, the genie won't go back in the bottle - it's going to be either animal testing or human testing. I love animals, but equating their treatment with that of humans doesn't elevate them to human level. It degrades humans to the animal level.

[Dan]

Lindy, Leigh, Dies and Plossl have the right take on this one, although they approach it from different directions, the crucial element is still the same.
zoonosis
n : an animal disease that can be transmitted to humans [syn: {zoonotic
disease}]
[also: {zoonoses} (pl)]

-- From WordNet (r) 2.0

Ebola, Swine Flu, Bird Flu, take your pick of dozens of others already out there.

This is a time of lax morals, negotiable ethics, profit-before-principle and wanton disregard of basic safety precautions at all levels of most companies and universities, from staff to management. The death toll from a single, "Ooops!" could number not in the hundreds, thousands, or miillions ... but in the billions!

Even something so basic as prophylactic hand-washing is dying out in a culture of instant gratification and miracle drugs. Not to mention the health issues created and compounded by user choice/hedonistic behavior. e.g. Herpes, HIV/AIDS, STDs, genital warts, lung cancer, COPD, obesity, heart disease, diabetes mellitus, chemical dependencies etc.

Add to that the mass air and land transportation systems, and "Go to work even if you're sick!" culture, and the transmission vectors become not overwhelming, but unstoppable.

Open this pandora's box? At this time, and in this culture?

I fervently pray not!

... Bad idea! Really bad idea!

Dan

[Plossl]

This is a time of lax morals, negotiable ethics, profit-before-principle and wanton disregard of basic safety precautions at all levels of most companies and universities, from staff to management. The death toll from a single, "Ooops!" could number not in the hundreds, thousands, or miillions ... but in the billions!
..
Not to mention the health issues created and compounded by user choice/hedonistic behavior. e.g. Herpes, HIV/AIDS, STDs, genital warts, lung cancer, COPD, obesity, heart disease, diabetes mellitus, chemical dependencies etc.

.. "Go to work even if you're sick!" culture...
Dan
Well, Dan, on most of this I have to agree with you, even if that puts me in the "You kids get off my lawn!" group.

Where I differ is in a thumbs down to research with ethical oversight. Research will happen, by the US and other countries, or by other countries alone; to believe otherwise is to be naive. You're suggesting we kill the Manhattan Project because of the horrific dangers involved, but the Germans aren't convinced. This isn't the safer alternative.

You're right: the transmission vectors are unstoppable, but the best way to protect ourselves is to conduct ethical research so we are as informed as possible.

[tiberious726]

No , This technology is dangerous and could help virus's cross the species gap. (bird flu)

http://whyfiles.org/007transplant/virus1.html

this has nothing to do with the topic at hand; what is being discussed is using animal cells to host human DNA because the eithics junkies dont like us using human cells. your article talks about transplants from a grown animal to a grown human, something entirely different

to the topic at hand I vote yes. research leads to knowledge, which is, in my views, a very good thing. I have yet to hear a convincing argument as to the dangers or immorality of this.

[Seve]

Hello:
Bring on the Minotaurs :eek:

Seve

[addarich]

I thought I was a Animal/Human Hybrid

[JN4OldSchool]

no one even mentioned the Christian aspects to this, and I wont go into that here. Suffice to say that as a Christian I am opposed for the obvious reasons.

[mdulzo]

One word: Chumans. or Humanzees if you like. Check it out on wikipedia if youd like (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chuman). Id be all for a army of Chumans.

[JN4OldSchool]

yeah, it's a fine line. Inserting animal DNA into humans can have some huge benefits. What if we can cure cancer? I dont know...I just hope that mankind is very concous about ethics and dangers here. Glad it's not my decision to make...