Why would scientists want to create a hybrid human-cow embryo?
This week, a group of London-based scientists requested official permission from the UK’s Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority to begin a three-year study involving embryonic stem cells. But these aren’t any old embryonic stem cells they want to investigate; these are stem cells derived from hybrid human-cow embryos. They want to create a chimera — a single, living entity that incorporates two completely separate species in its DNA. Stem cells are cells found primarily in embryos, and they have not yet taken on the characteristics of any particular type of cell, such as bone, muscle tissue or brain matter. Because stem cells are undifferentiated in this way, they have limitless potential — they can become any kind of cell you want. Their medical value lies in the idea that if you could create stem cells that perfectly match the DNA of, say, a Parkinson’s patient, then you could
