Obama greenlights human-animal 'hybrid' monsters. Feds to lift moratorium on funding of 'human-animal'' experiments

[rangerrebew]

Obama greenlights human-animal 'hybrid' monsters
Feds to lift moratorium on funding of 'human-animal'' experiments
Published: 15 hours ago


A depiction of a human-animal hybrid or “chimera” conceived in a laboratory.

A plan to mix human stem cells with animal embryos to create chimeras – those creatures that have part animal and part human elements – soon will be getting taxpayer funding, under a new proposal from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The federal agency said Thursday that it is requesting public comment on its plans to open the door to public funding of the concept that could result in “animal models with human tissues or organs for studying human development, disease pathology, and eventually organ transplantation.”

The National Institutes of Health had announced a moratorium on the funding last year, but the change now is being proposed due to the interest in mixing human and non-human cells, and seeing the results.

National Public Radio said there have been concerns over the potential work.

Read more at http://www.wnd.com/2016/08/obama-gives-green-light-to-make-human-animal-hybrid-monsters/#R6Rt8HGdmZiXGFBs.99

[mountaineer]

NIH Plans To Lift Ban On Research Funds For Part-Human, Part-Animal Embryos
August 4, 20169:01 AM ET
Heard on All Things Considered
Rob Stein
NPR [excerpted] - click on link for full story

The federal government announced plans Thursday to lift a moratorium on funding of certain controversial experiments that use human stem cells to create animal embryos that are partly human.

The National Institutes of Health is proposing a new policy to permit scientists to get federal money to make embryos, known as chimeras, under certain carefully monitored conditions.

The NIH imposed a moratorium on funding these experiments in September because they could raise ethical concerns.

One issue is that scientists might inadvertently create animals that have partly human brains, endowing them with some semblance of human consciousness or human thinking abilities. Another is that they could develop into animals with human sperm and eggs and breed, producing human embryos or fetuses inside animals or hybrid creatures.

But scientists have argued that they could take steps to prevent those outcomes and that the embryos provide invaluable tools for medical research.

In Search For Cures, Scientists Create Embryos That Are Both Animal And Human

For example, scientists hope to use the embryos to create animal models of human diseases, which could lead to new ways to prevent and treat illnesses. Researchers also hope to produce sheep, pigs and cows with human hearts, kidneys, livers, pancreases and possibly other organs that could be used for transplants.

To address the ethical concerns, the NIH's new policy imposes several restrictions.   ...

In addition, the NIH would even consider experiments that could create animals with human sperm and human eggs since they may be useful for studying human development and infertility. But in that case steps would have to be taken to prevent the animals from breeding.

"I am confident that these proposed changes will enable the NIH research community to move this promising area of science forward in a responsible manner," Carrie Wolinetz, the NIH's associate director for science policy, wrote in a blog post.   ...

But critics denounced the decision. "Science fiction writers might have imagined worlds like this — like The Island of Dr. Moreau, Brave New World, Frankenstein," says Stuart Newman, a biologist at New York Medical College. "There have been speculations. But now they're becoming more real. And I think that we just can't say that since it's possible then let's do it."

The public has 30 days to comment on the proposed new policy. NIH could start funding projects as early as the start of 2017.

[mountaineer]

Al Gore's worst nightmare.