Splicing human DNA with cow eggs?

Question

Watched in horror last night as the newsreader casually informed us the general public that this is the intention of some mad quack in Newcastle? Am I the only person to be appauled and very worried by this?

The medical reasons can be dressed up as much as you like, but it dosn't change the fact that it is wrong, and why should we believe that it will stop at that? Who's going to police what happens in these labs if it hasn't happened already, we're always the last to know. I'm all for saving souls and easing ailments but there IS something morally wrong with all this.

Answer 1

in my opinion they have already done this experiment. the results
can be found in the houses of parliament, because all that comes
out of there is hot air and bulls**t.

Answer 2

It is hard to frame an answer that encapsulates more common sense and straightforward scientific accuracy than that posted by Angus, and the fact that you disagree with him doesn’t change that. Remember Paul McCartney telling the world how it was sometimes okay to test some drugs on some animals some of the time? What he meant was he could see how it would be pretty damn good if someone could find a way to cure the cancer that was killing his wife, and if a few fwuffy bunny wabbits had to bite the dust in order to do that, well, that’d be tough on old Bugs. It’ll be the same here, Mizzsquitz. Stem cell research will remain, in your mind, some sort of demonic black magic carried out in a dark laboratory in a swamp by cackling madmen, and at the end of it you get a cross between a camel and a poinsetta bush, which downloads porn images and cheats at backgammon (before being electrocuted by the hero in the final reel, of course). Then one of your children develops Parkinson’s disease. Tell me, Mizzsquitz, when faced with the choice of welcoming the medical therapies developed by those “mad quacks” or watching your child degenerate into a pain-wracked, twitching skeleton, how long will your principles last?

Answer 3

On the face of it it does look scary, but there is a logical reason behind it. The scientists up in Newcastle want to do some stem-cell research, and for that you need some fertilised human eggs, the eggs usually come from a donor. Thing is, to remove a woman's eggs you have to operate plus there arnt that many donors around. To get around this they want to use cow eggs, remove the cow DNA (which is not splicing) and replace it with human DNA. This would result in a creature that is 99.99% human but still 0.01% cow. They can do their experiments and then destroy all the stuff they've created after a little while, being careful not to release these new creatures in to the ecosystem.

Answer 4

Certainly you will be the only person to be appauled - the word is appalled. In fact the "mad quack" is leading a team of scientists who need access to human ova for vital stem cell research. You can't exactly buy them off the shelf so using bovine ova injected with human DNA is an ideal solution. The cells are no more 'human' than a fingernail clipping, and the promise this research holds is beyond belief - for instance, spinal injuries which condemn the victim to life in a wheelchair (or worse - ask Christopher Reeve about that one) could be cured by a simple injection. Parkinson's Disease could become no more debilitating than a common cold. Diabetes a thing of the past. The list is endless. How "appauled" will you be, I wonder, if you - or a loved one - ends up with any one of a hundred devastating illnesses or injuries that could be easily treated by stem cell therapy?

Answer 5

I downloaded GNU Backgammon for free here: http://j.mp/1pUE73m

it's a perfectly working link, no scam!
It?s true that if you search for computer games you can find all kinds. Some of these are quite appealing, and others aren?t, but you can still find programs that offer special and unique content; like when you used to play on those Sunday afternoons sitting down to the best board games. This is the case with GNU Backgammon, a game that will immediately transport you back to those good times.
It's surely the leader game of its type.

Answer 6

I'm in total agreeance with Angus. We need something such as this to help in the treatment of dibilitating deseases as he has mentioned. The fertilised eggs are only kept for a few days and then destroyed once the dna are taken out. I was a little shocked at first but after listening to the artical, I thought it was a fantastic idea. I don't think you have any need to worry about it apart from if you get seriously sick yourself as you will then have the worry of making the decision as to whether you want the stem cell treatment.

Answer 7

I don't know what the reason are for doing this.

I wouldn't like to think it was being done just for the sake of it though.

I'm not religious or "highly moralistic" about these things I don't beleive that a fertlilised ovum is a "human being" (sorry Catholics! You aint gonna convince me on that one) and in all honesty if it was to find a cure for cancer or something I wouldn't have a problem with it. After a family member of my in-laws died from cancer earlier this year I would stop at nothing to get a cure for this terrible disease. Beleive me its hard to have "principles" about research when you've seen someone crying in pain, unable to keep water or food down and begging to die.

Although I am opposed to animals testing and like when its for stupid reasons like cosmetics.

Answer 8

Nope, they only want to create eggs that don't fall into the category of purely human eggs, to avoid the ethics involved in using viable human egg cells. The only down side is that they might not really want to use them for stem cell research, but actually use them to create a race of Minotaurs. Perhaps they will use the bull-headed monsters to patrol research institutes and protect them from animal rights activists.

Answer 9

Dr. Jekyll Mr.Hyde must be at loss with our creator's universal laws on crossing of all living things on planet earth.
At loss that all heatlth problems comes from at loss in mastering our creator's universal gifts of life on planet earth.
At loss on why health problems could not be trace or solve with the latest and modern technology of science and mathematics.
When artificial intelligence were created by living human kind in planet of apes.
Who is not even the creator of heaven and earth in planet of apes.

Answer 10

It saves time from eating all them burgers. You automatically get 'Mad Cows Desease' on request.