If you think cloning humans is controversial, science is about to throw another curve ball: 3-parent embryos.
Researchers have produced human embryos containing DNA from three people, a biotechnological proof-of-principle with profound medical and ethical implications.
To accomplish this, chromosomes were taken from one zygote — the single cell formed when sperm and egg fuse — and put into a zygote stripped of its original chromosomes, but left with its original mitochondria, which provide each human cell with energy.
As they grew, the resulting embryos contained so-called nuclear DNA — the 25,000 genes responsible for physical and developmental traits — from two traditional parents, and mitochondrial DNA from a third.
The technique is a subtle form of genetic engineering, which many people consider taboo, and raises other ethical dilemmas. It could also allow parents whose progeny would otherwise suffer from deadly mitochondrial diseases to have healthy children.
Comments (21)
I am wondering will they use this 3 parent
embryo technique for women over 40 whose eggs
apparently have more chromosomal abnormalities
and have a smaller chance of success in than say
a woman 37. I believe 37 is the avarage age for
egg donation in ivf.
I believe that screening is done in the mitochondria
but would it be possible to screen out all
chromosomal abnormalites in a woman's eggs say
over 40 years of age in the nucleous of her eggs and replace all the faulty chromosomes with someone elses.
I look forward to your reply. Carla Zavaroni
What is the end result of cancer research? You don't die. You don't get much other choice except try to live or give up and die.
What is the end result of fertility treatment? You get a baby. You could have gotten a baby via a number of alternative methods, but it feels so nice to have your own. It satisfies an instinct.
The "3-parent" research here is something else entirely. I'm surprised they're allowed to perform this experiment on human zygotes.
It's so easy to bash on fertility treatments or to tell people to just adopt when you have nothing wrong.
My husband and myself are going through fertility treatments right now. And it just amazes and saddens me that people would think that that's a bad thing. I mean seriouly, it just breaks my heart.
So I guess people who have cancer should just give up and not fight it. Or people who have diabetes. I guess they shouldn't be taking insulin b/c hey, it's just nature trying to kill them off right?
If you face the prospect of no kids, it's not the end of the world. You get over it. Maybe you adopt.
It is the will of Darwin. Darwin be praised.
Is the world more intolerant to each other, or are we just connected more for debate to become more heated and seen by everyone else? Nothing has changed, it's just that awareness has increased greatly.
And I don't think we're dumbed down, because for those with inquisitive minds, google and wikipedia are heaven.
I think I can confidently say that this generation isn't afraid of writing. I once had an old employer write me a letter of recommendation. He was so reluctant and never did it, so I just had him sign the bottom of a paper and I wrote the letter myself. The same idea with my parents, too. I don't think older generations are as confident as we are (this does not apply to you, Miss Cellania ;D )
Everybody wants to talk - nobody wants to READ.
This is the crunch. Literacy levels are declining in my country, Canada. About half of Canucks can't manage a simple magazine article or novel, despite their spewing of ever greater volumes of broken english on the internet.
So, in this broader respect, i guess it is, at best, a wash, not a net gain.
I'll have to disagree with this to a large extent. Most people who add their voices to the Internet are writing for themselves, not for others, otherwise they would make more of an effort to be coherent. Too much anymore, the responsibility of understanding is shifted to the reader, rather than remaining with the writer.
However, I believe Lynn has a good point in that the stupid didn't have as great a voice before the popularization of the Internet. And they seem to be the ones more apt to open their mouths without thought.
Still, if we're referring to literacy in the sense of reading comprehension, then yes, I wholeheartedly believe we are currently in a state of decline. I do, however, blame this on the schools, not the Internet.
Just saying.