Comment Re:I am sure I am not the only one bothered by thi (Score 1) 433
I think I see what you're worried about. When people talk about hybrids, they imagine a 50/50 mix. And yes, a half mouse, half human creatue probably wouldn't survive, would be of questionable scientific value, and it's creation would be ethically questionable, to say the least!
However, that's not what they're talking about here. Or rather, that's not what the scientists are doing. The reporter doesn't have a clue what he's talking about, and garbled most of his facts. The technique described in the article will introduce a small amount of genetic material into the mouse. Some of the mouse's cells would then be able to produce the proteins coded for by those genes. You could, for example, have the mouse produce specific antibodies and see if that allowed it to fight off a disease. You would NOT be able to produce mice with human brains, or able to produce human sperm, or able to walk on their back legs, or any nonsense like that.
However, that's not what they're talking about here. Or rather, that's not what the scientists are doing. The reporter doesn't have a clue what he's talking about, and garbled most of his facts. The technique described in the article will introduce a small amount of genetic material into the mouse. Some of the mouse's cells would then be able to produce the proteins coded for by those genes. You could, for example, have the mouse produce specific antibodies and see if that allowed it to fight off a disease. You would NOT be able to produce mice with human brains, or able to produce human sperm, or able to walk on their back legs, or any nonsense like that.
