UK Plans For Human – Animal Genetic Hybrids

Photo credit:  artist Patricia Piccinini.

In the name of medical research some are pushing the boundaries of science by combining human and animal DNA. It may sound like the beginning of a science fiction horror movie, but it’s actually something that happens quite often. In the UK plans for how to regulate such experiments are being implemented.

In the creation of the report from the British Academy of Medical Sciences, they interviewed more than a thousand UK citizens in multi-day discussions on the nature of transgenic science. Overall, attitudes towards ACHM were positive when portrayed as helping to create new medicines or to cure genetic diseases. In fact, the opposition towards this research could largely be attributed to three areas of concern. People were uncomfortable with scientists: 1) modifying animal brains to be more human, 2) creating human embryos inside animals, and 3) changing animals to have more human-like appearances and/or behaviors.

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