[j. d. worthington]

Okay, Jack; I asked for it, and I got it -- now what the devil to do with it???

Just some random, early thoughts for openers:

Originally Posted by Jack

Animal – Human chimera’s and the gene splicing of human DNA with that of animals. It’s not only possible but also soon somewhere to become a reality? Science fiction today? One set of cat’s eyes, extensive motor neuron replacement and a big fluffy tail in black, to go please – Is that so wrong? Why not feather light bones and wings, is it not peoples own right to make their own choices on such things?
Now my views on this are varied – It could hugely help diseases and genetic disorders and cure a lot of pain in the world and possibly can be made to have no outward differences - you would look human just have parts of other animals inside you e.g. organ donations. But is that truly what we wont? The human body is to all respects a rather weak and shappy thing – Stick on a pair of gills and we have someone that has no need for a air suit when diving and can live underwater – The advances are endless and would truly advance mankind…But would we still be mankind? As I stated, the cosmetic implications could also be high – Would it affect our minds?

Herein lies what I conceive to be a major problem not so much morally, ethically, technically, or in its benefits/drawbacks, but societally. We've become adjusted to the human form over a very, very long time and, though this is being modified slowly (it's not that long that we've stopped looking at people such as "Siamese Twins" or "little people" or those with other genetic defects, as "monsters" -- and even now I think this is largely surface, scratch us very deep and we still tend to react that way), such change is quite recent. And of course such a major change would affect our minds. It may do so on a basic physico-biological level, or the much more difficult to pin down psychological effects of being different from those around us (look how much trouble even those with higher intelligence, a different fashion sense, or skin disorders, etc. tend to have with self-image; or, conversely, how superior they feel to others as a compensatory measure). This is not to say it shouldn't or won't be done -- as with nearly anything one can think of, this is relative to the situation, and views will depend on its usefulness/advantages over time. But one aspect of it is, of course, truly being able to "choose what you look like" and, so some degree, "who you are" -- how much of the latter has yet to be decided, as we still are only opening the door on how much brain configuration affects (or is affected by as it develops) personality. Which also ties in with something you mention below, which I'll address there.

There is also the problem of animal diseases that before where not zoonotic (Passable from animal to human e.g. flu) becoming compatible and becoming a pandemic.
A big question – Do we go down the route of life or the route of cold metal? One day this will have to be answered.

Again, this has both benefits and drawbacks. It may get us off our butts and looking for actual cures for diseases we've not bothered with so far, but which may possibly mutate into a freakish zoonotic form. (I miss the diaresis on that, by the way.) Do we become cyborgs in the accepted sf sense? It's possible. Either metal or a blend of metal/plastic and flesh. Unlikely, for the reasons stated above about our tendency to hold onto our bias for the human form, but possible. Again, its' a trade-off either way. We gain some, we lose some with whatever decision; and, unless we all make the same decision, it can cause even more friction, or more understanding and acceptance, depending.

There is also the big trend at the moment to put human DNA in animals for organ farming at a later date, which is pushing us rapidly to the beginning of gene splicing as a normal thing, a possibly dangerous normality – But on topic e.g.

- In Minnesota last year researchers at the Mayo Clinic created pigs with human blood flowing through their bodies.
- And at Stanford University in California an experiment might be done later this year to create mice with human brains.

Pigs have been one of the best models for understanding human physiology -- or certain aspects thereof -- for a very long time; this seems to me, for the moment, simply another form of that. As for the mice with human brains: I have both questions and concerns. The question is the capacity/size of such brains. And the concern applies to what I said earlier about how much the structure of the brain and personality -- which, ultimately, is what makes us human, and why the "freaks" listed above remain human despite apparent complete deviation from the human form. Here you're getting into some seriously troubling ethical issues; this is almost a form of deliberately breeding idiots or cretins for biological experimentation, or at least a shade too near for comfort. Before genetically manipulating the brain, we really need to understand the brain/mind connection much better than we do; more than any physical aspect of things, this is where we'd be playing God, in my opinion.

Scientists feel that, the more humanlike the animal, the better research model it makes for testing drugs or possibly growing "spare parts," such as livers, to transplant into humans.
I cannot give that my support – Where do we draw the line? When does it become human enough to have rights? And as a medical worker I support animal testing, the amount of lives it has saved is astronomical. But this? This disturbs me.

I, too, find it a troubling idea. I'm certain that it's going to come, but this is one of those areas where we really need to get on the ball and deciding what consitutes ethical and unethical behavior here. So far, we've pretty much fumbled our way through the questions of ethics in so much of science with practical applications; but with the first atomic explosion -- nay, with the splitting of the atom -- the clock that counts the time when we actually have to make such a decision in a meaningful way started speeding up tremendously, and at an exponential if not geometric rate. There are so many benefits here; but how much will we be willing to sacrifice of what we hold as our better ideals in order to achieve what benefits? So far, we've largely evaded this question. Now it's not knocking on the door, it's shown up with a bally great battering-ram.

So creating human-animal chimeras has raised troubling questions as we all know such horror stories and films - What new subhuman combination should be produced and for what purpose – Put then we can all guess? At what point would it be considered human? And what rights, if any, should it have?
Just to clear a point - A chimera is a mixture of two or more species in one body. Not all are considered troubling to science in general, though e.g.
An example, faulty human heart valves are routinely replaced with ones taken from cows and pigs.

And I'm of an age to still remember when this very practice caused a major controversy, so much so that the doctors who first attempted the practice were, in many places (including major portions of the U.S.) looked on in much the same light as our ancestors of a couple of centuries ago looked on those who practiced what they saw as "thaumaturgy". There were quite literally people (and they were not few) who put them in the same category as Mengele and company. Again, I think the final decision will rest on how useful this proves to be, and who's life is saved -- if it's someone rich, or seen as a public benefactor, it's likely to find a way into acceptable much more quickly. If it's some poor schlub off the streets, the people practicing it had best barricade their doors and have lots of supplies handy.

The surgery — which makes the recipient a human - animal chimera — is widely accepted. And for years scientists have added human genes to bacteria and farm animals. So is this ‘that different’?

Nanu nanu!

Anyway, these are some of the thoughts that come to mind right off. This is exciting stuff, and I thank you for sharing this -- there were quite a few things in here I was unaware of, and I love learning about such things. But it has both unbelievable benefits and lots of paving stones for that proverbial road -- and the two may go hand in hand quite a lot of the time.