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The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is planning to lift its moratorium on chimeric embryo research:
The National Institutes of Health is proposing a new policy to permit scientists to get federal money to make embryos, known as chimeras, under certain carefully monitored conditions. The NIH imposed a moratorium on funding these experiments in September because they could raise ethical concerns.
[...] [Scientists] hope to use the embryos to create animal models of human diseases, which could lead to new ways to prevent and treat illnesses. Researchers also hope to produce sheep, pigs and cows with human hearts, kidneys, livers, pancreases and possibly other organs that could be used for transplants.
To address the ethical concerns, the NIH's new policy imposes several restrictions. The policy prohibits the introduction of any human cells into embryos of nonhuman primates, such as monkeys and chimps, at their early stages of development. Previously, the NIH wouldn't allow such experiments that involved human stem cells but it didn't address the use of other types of human cells that scientists have created. In addition, the old rules didn't bar adding the cells very early in embryonic development. The extra protections are being added because these animals are so closely related to humans. But the policy would lift the moratorium on funding experiments involving other species. Because of the ethical concerns, though, at least some of the experiments would go through an extra layer of review by a new, special committee of government officials.
You can submit a response to the proposal here up until the end of the day on September 4.
Related: NIH Won't Fund Human Germline Modification
U.S. Congress Moves to Block Human Embryo Editing
China's Bold Push into Genetically Customized Animals
Human-Animal Chimeras are Gestating on U.S. Research Farms
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 05 2016, @12:23AM
When, long ago, the gods created Earth
In Iove's fair image Man was shaped at birth.
The beasts for lesser parts were next designed;
Yet were they too remote from humankind.
To fill the gap, and join the rest to Man,
Th'Olympian host conceiv'd a clever plan.
A beast they wrought, in semi-human figure,
Filled it with vice, and called the thing a Nigger.
(Score: -1, Troll) by Ethanol-fueled on Friday August 05 2016, @12:50AM
H.P. Lovecraft had some pretty interesting stuff to say about Jews as well...although if you look into what he said it's not entirely hateful...then you wonder whether or not he became an anti-Semite before or after he married that Jewish woman.
(Score: 1) by Type44Q on Friday August 05 2016, @01:56AM
then you wonder whether or not he became an anti-Semite before or after he married that Jewish woman.
Perhaps he once waited tables in Scarsdale, NY; that would certainly do it...
(Score: 1) by Ethanol-fueled on Friday August 05 2016, @02:01AM
That doesn't make sense - Why would a Jewish woman couple with a man who waited tables?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 05 2016, @02:16AM
millions more were waiting from all the dirt he overheard if only he'd had the lack of scruples to use it.