UK Approves Human-Pig Embryo Stem-Cell Harvest 139
An anonymous reader writes "British biologists have received government approval to create the world's first human stem cells from hybrid embryos, part pig, part human. The Warwick Medical School team, led by Justin St. John of the Clinical Sciences Research Institute, was granted the country's third animal-human embryo license from the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, which goes into effect today (July 1)." The above link requires (free) registration; the Telegraph's coverage does not.
Re:sick and wrong (Score:4, Interesting)
So what are you suggesting that humans are then?
Frankenpiggy over period? (Score:2, Interesting)
I am moderately surprised that this type of research is still going on/causing such controversy.
One would think that with all the evidence pointing at things like:
Multipotential Stem Cells from Menstrual Blood [biotech-weblog.com],
Menstrual Blood Can Provide Adult Stem Cells [taragana.net],
Menstrual Blood: A Valuable Source Of Multipotential Stem Cells? [sciencedaily.com],
Stem Cells Have Utility in Fighting Disease> and [reuters.com]
New type of stem cell from menstrual blood [upi.com]
would have convinced these scientists to give up splicing pig butts to people and go to the controversy free stem cells by now. Perhaps they don't wan't to get their fingers wet.
Mr. Garrison's: "Well, I'm sorry, Wendy. But I just don't trust anything that bleeds for five days and doesn't die." Was supposed to be irony, you know irony, its a metal, like goldy and silvery.
-m
Re:sick and wrong (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Somewhat misleading... (Score:3, Interesting)
Yes, they are scientifically classified as animals. In the common meaning of the term, though, they aren't.
It's like seeing a chart comparing "Mexicans", "Canadians", and "Americans". You know what the latter refers to, despite the fact that all of the three groups live in the North American continent.
It might be more technically correct to go back to using the term "beast" to refer to non-human animals, but it makes people look at you funny nowadays.