Human-Animal Hybrids
Summary
If scientists weren’t content with Dolly and stem cell research, they have caught on to another development that can revolutionize science. In order to find cure for diseases like Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease and diabetes, scientists in UK have embarked on a mission to develop hybrid embryos – embryos that are part animal and part human. The hybrid embryo is called Cytoplasmic hybrid. In order to develop an embryo involving a cow and a human, cow’s egg is cut open by a laser and its DNA is sucked out, then human cells from a person with Parkinson’s disease are injected in the cow’s egg. By using an electrical shock, the hybrid embryo starts growing and the cells get subdivided. In the course of 6 days, the embryo shell breaks open. This shell contains stem cells that can be reprogrammed into any tissue like nerve cells, heart cells or brain cells. The UK government has approved further research in this arena. Although the approval for this research is a victory for scientists, religious and moral opponents continue to voice their concerns.
Keywords: stem cell, hybrid embryos, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, cytoplasm, DNA, Genes, biology, embryo, John Hopkins University, University of New Castle
