First Genetically Modified Human Embryo Under Review

Wired is reporting that Cornell University researchers genetically modified a human embryo in 2007, but have only recently been gaining publicity as their work is being reviewed. "The research raises a number of thorny ethical questions. Though adding a fluorescent protein was merely a proof-of-principle step, scientists say that modified embryos could be used to research human diseases. They say embryos wouldn't be allowed to develop for more than a few weeks, much less implanted in a woman and brought to term."

Re:WHAT HAS SCIENCE DONE?

[Datamonstar]

Quiche?

Re:WHAT HAS SCIENCE DONE?

[Teresita]

A fluorescent protein? Did they want to make a baby that you can find under the black lights in a night club?

fluorescent protein?

[Anonymous Coward]

Does that mean the kid would have an annoying hum if born?

Re:WHAT HAS SCIENCE DONE?

[CowboyNealOption]

Seriously though, how many people here would love to be fluorescent green?

Re:WHAT HAS SCIENCE DONE?

[Dallas Caley]

I'd be a hit at the next rave i can tell you that for sure!

Re:Why not allow them to be implanted?

[eln]

We can't have glowing humans because they would piss everyone off at movie theatres.

Re:wouldn't be allowed to develop?

[vertinox]

Wouldn't that mean they were murdered? That is if you accept the religious side of the house...

As much as you murder millions of children every night with bottle of lotion and a box of kleenex...

Cool! I have a list of human mods already!

[farbles]

Number 1: More intelligence. Hoo boy do we need this one implemented ASAP.

Number 2: Respiratory bypass system. No more choking to death on pretzels.

Number 3: Two hearts. Works for the Time Lords, howzabout it working for us?

Number 4: Reinforced cerebral circulatory system. No more strokes.

Number 5: Smarter immune system. Get rid of cancer and AIDS before they start, no more auto-immune diseases.

Number 6: Smart metabolism. Good-bye unwanted pounds, save your ass if you crash in the Andes without making your co-survivors menu items.

And so on. Look, we can stand some species improving. Save the default in the genes as a backup and let's get splicing here.

Re:Why not allow them to be implanted?

[gdog05]

But at least you could easily corner them in a dark alley afterward.

Re:Why not allow them to be implanted?

[dustman]

I know this is funny but the root problem here is how would YOU feel if you knew you were born out of a scientific experiment?

awesome

Re:Cool! I have a list of human mods already!

[Afecks]

Save the default in the genes as a backup and let's get splicing here.

Goddamn sploicers!

Re:If they are not self aware, why not?

[ArsonSmith]

I'm fine with it. I'm fine with abortions up to the 75th trimester.

Re:Why not allow them to be implanted?

[G00F]

At least I wouldn't have clean out the lint in my belly button again!

Re:WHAT HAS SCIENCE DONE?

[clem]

You think it's easy being green?

Re:Cool! I have a list of human mods already!

[DavidD_CA]

Prior art [imdb.com].

Re:Cool! I have a list of human mods already!

[TheNarrator]

Why do "rogue nations" pursue boring 60 year old nuclear weapons technologies when they could instead have armies of super intelligent, pretzel proof, two-hearted, stroke proof, aids proof, super-metabolic super warriors?

Re:fluorescent protein?

[John3]

Only until he learns the words.

Re:A sad time for humanity

[Anonymous Coward]

I'll stop eating delicious sugar, fats and salt as soon as I'm genetically engineered to get the same great taste and satisfaction from eating celery and carrots.

Re:What is "human" to you?

[afaik_ianal]

I think your argument would be more convincing if you had any idea what a verb was :-|.

You can see the head

[lawn.ninja]

If you look at the bottom of the image, in the article, you can see its already developing alien head! It looks like an alien aligator ready to eat human brains. Good job science! I would elaborate further, but as an American and I can barely spell the word science.

Re:Why not allow them to be implanted?

[tsm_sf]

I don't know, I have the feeling that

scientific experiment > mommy was drunk

for a lot of people. YMMV.

Re:What is "human" to you?

[ArcherB]

> You are presenting one side of an issue as the only side. You've chosen the side that embryos are human and alive and thus this is murder.

Forget whether it's "murder" or not for a second (that's an emotive word that will only derail discussion) and focus on the "human" aspect of things, please.

Fertilized embryos and zygotes are living homo sapien organisms--not some other species, right? They're becoming something we all recognize as human, or would given food and shelter?

So what's the other side of that (and ONLY that--no "murder" discussion, please)? They can't feel or understand pain so it's speciesist to give them special treatment merely because they're homo sapiens. Or perhaps, "What's the difference between them and cell cultures removed from your body? Especially if we could clone those?", ignoring that fertilized embryos are becoming human and samples are not?

I merely want to understand, so no flames please. I would like to hear your reasoning and your philosophy, not your anger.

Human tissue is a part of a human. Tissue, by design will not naturally form a new human being.

An embryo is the whole human, although just very young. In its natural state, it WILL grow, form a personality and wreck daddy's car in about 17 years.

That help?

Indigent?

[GoddessOfDeath]

Imagine that you're walking down the street and trip on someone's foot. You're annoyed, right? Now imagine that you realize the person tripped you on purpose, and is laughing. Now you're indigent. Tripping people is wrong!

If only tripping people on purpose made them homeless - I can think of a few people I would want to try that on...