They get lifetime Secret Service protection.
Posted on 10/25/2007 1:48:07 AM PDT by WesternCulture
The Danish Council of Ethics has proposed a set of rules to deal with the prospective possibility that human and animal genes will be combined
The first hybrid sheep-goat was created some 20 years ago, and science has since used cell and gene research to put a baboon heart into an infant and use other animal organs to save human lives.
But where this technology will eventually lead to is of great concern to both the Danish Council of Ethics and the Council for Animal Ethics, who Tuesday presented their proposals for dealing with the unnerving prospect of combining human genes with those of an animal.
The technology for creating cross-species animals already exists in theory, and scientists in England recently created a stir over their efforts to get legal permission to place human cells into a cow’s ovum.
Ole Hartling, president of the Danish Council of Ethics, said that while most gene research currently only takes place at the cellular level to find cures and treatments for diseases, it pays to be ready for the future.
‘We’re just trying to exercise timely consideration,’ he told Jyllands-Posten newspaper. ‘It could certainly cause some concern if a mouse with human brain cells suddenly got the urge to have some wine with its cheese.’
Among the proposals put forth by the councils were an infinite prohibition against the creation of a human-animal being; that gene research never reaches the point where it becomes necessary to establish a scientific definition of a human being; reforming gene research laws; and calling in ethical councils on all issues of precedence regarding gene research.
DNA research has indicated that around 99.9 percent of all human genes are identical, and about 95 percent of human genes are shared with that of a chimpanzee.
Besides the moral - and often religious - aspects of gene research, Hartling said issues such as the order of nature and the possibility of creating a being humans aren’t prepared to deal with ethically and morally are causes of concern.
‘What is human dignity and what does it mean?’asked Hartling. ‘When you start fiddling around with these things it can end up as a moral and ethical mess.’
The Copenhagen Post
What happens when these geniuses create something we cannot get rid of?
They get lifetime Secret Service protection.
In related news, Rosie O’Donut is looking for a mate. She was last seen entering Seaworld.
I still want a cat girl.
Nothing wrong with Centaurs. They are really good archers. Mermaids? well... men won’t mate with them. Can’t hold their breath long enough, so what’s the big deal? Besides, why do we have to say “human”, why not just say “intelligent”? This planet will be in for a big surprise when we find out life is so abundant out there, and there are probably millions of intelligent species out there.... oh well
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