A Sheep That’s 15% Human

[BurtWorm]

http://www.curespinalcordinjury.com/sheep-15-percent-human

Scientists have created the world's first human-sheep chimera - which has the body of a sheep and half-human organs. The sheep have 15 per cent human cells and 85 per cent animal cells - and their evolution brings the prospect of animal organs being transplanted into humans one step closer.

Professor Esmail Zanjani, of the University of Nevada, has spent seven years and £5million perfecting the technique, which involves injecting adult human cells into a sheep's foetus.

He has already created a sheep liver which has a large proportion of human cells and eventually hopes to precisely match a sheep to a transplant patient, using their own stem cells to create their own flock of sheep.


Chimera: sheep have 15 per cent human cells and 85 per cent animal cells

The process would involve extracting stem cells from the donor's bone marrow and injecting them into the peritoneum of a sheep's foetus. When the lamb is born, two months later, it would have a liver, heart, lungs and brain that are partly human and available for transplant.

"We would isolate the stem cells from them, inject them into the peritoneum of these animals and then these cells would get distributed throughout the metabolic system into the circulatory system of all the organs in the body. The two ounces of stem cell or bone marrow cell we get would provide enough stem cells to do about ten foetuses. So you don't just have one organ for transplant purposes, you have many available in case the first one fails." said prof Zanjani.

But the development is likely to revive criticisms about scientists playing God, with the possibility of silent viruses, which are harmless in animals, being introduced into the human race.

[tanyev]

1. Well, we've already got humans that are 85% sheep.

[tk2kewl]

7. Maybe they can make people with...

a leg of lamb. If you get lost in the woods you could hack it off and have dinner.

[dkofos]

16. Love the picture

[youthere]

33. ...

:spray:

[roamer65]

39. Sheeple!

Finer living through chemistry.

[wake.up.america]

2. Baaaaaaaaaaaaad

[tk2kewl]

5. crap... you beat me to it.

:D

[MADem]

10. The baaaaaaaaaaaaastids!!! nt

[Jackpine Radical]

42. This is not news to fundamentalist leaders,

who have known for years that their sheep are partly human.

[Serendipitous]

3. Wow!

That's freaky... weird... cool and disturbing all at the same time.

[BurtWorm]

17. You nailed it.

:toast:

[tk2kewl]

4. Baaaaa...d idea.

:D

Couldn't help it :P.

[Turbineguy]

6. What a brilliant idea!

Something that votes Republican and gives wool at the same time. Still, selling wool into a global warming market might be difficult.

On edit: Whew, you guys are too quick for me. Where is that speed typing software?

[TahitiNut]

14. The perfect Reichbot - it pulls its own wool over its own eyes.

Who says irony is dead? :crazy:

[GOTV]

8. And boy does that sheep look happy about it! n/t

[mainegreen]

9. 'it would have a liver, heart, lungs and brain ... available for transplant.' BRAIN?

What good is a freaking BRAIN transplant?
:rofl:

[MADem]

12. Faux viewers--hell, it would be an UPGRADE! nt

[EST]

19. Highly valuable for the average gop type.

Except for the fact that the brain would probably reject them.

[VelmaD]

22. the brain thing weirds me out...

if it has what is essentially a human brain...then cutting it up for parts seems wrong to me. Isn't that brain essentially what makes us human?

[geardaddy]

26. liver, heart, lungs

all that's missing is the kidneys and the stomach and you'd have human haggis!

Edited to add the all-important stomach.

[leftofthedial]

11. animal-human hybrids?

I see a new boom industry opportunity in Wyoming

[11 Bravo]

13. Damn, that gives it a 14% edge on Cheney!

[soothsayer]

15. it's a freeper, right?

[The_Casual_Observer]

18. Oh Lucky Man! comes to mind.

[jobycom]

23. One day I'll watch that movie when I'm awake enough to follow it.

Cause when you are only half paying attention, that sheep thing gets really weird.

[jobycom]

The science fiction novels are already being drafted. Animals with brains that are 15% human.

Planet of the Sheep, CattleStar Galactica, A Horse Called Man, Bovinator, SheersRunner, Goat Encounters of the Third Kind, Bark Star...

I really should be working instead of this. :)

[ContraBass Black]

24. And now, I'm going to work instead of reading it.

Also, :spank:

[jobycom]

37. I know, I know. I feel ashamed.

:evilgrin:

[Akoto]

30. Bwaha. CattleStar Galactica.

:P

[Solon]

38. Actually, while not sheep...

There are some Science fiction novels by Alastair Reynolds which has a "subspecies" of humans that is a human/pig chimera, they were initially designed to grow transplantable organs for humans, but they ended up being near as intelligent as humans, some matching it or exceeding it in cases. They ended up being bi-pedal, but there were some problems, many were psychotics, mostly because the brains couldn't quite fit in their skulls, because of sloppy genetic work, or the brains had hormone or other defects. They also had a host of medical problem, some couldn't speak, because of jaw, tongue and vocal cords didn't match, and they lived a relatively short time compared to humans, about 50 years old.

They were generally "inferior" in every way compared to humans, but were smart enough to be aware of their condition. They were less coordinated, especially in fine motor control, eyesight was almost perpetually nearsighted, and, to many humans, they were slaves. To be honest, it was frankly disturbing, considering that we have the technology now to actually develop such beings, the moral and ethical implications are almost too terrible to contemplate.

I mean, if they can create a 15% percent human/sheep hybrid, what if it develops the cognitive abilities that equals baseline humans? Is it really fair to create such a being in the first place, and where would such being fit in a world dominated by humans? Would they be given "human" rights, not because of genetic structure, but cognitive abilities, what would constitute "human" in that case?

I know a lot of sheep jokes are taking place right now, but this is serious science, and, unlike many cases of science, this is one that can really be controversial.

[jobycom]

47. Yeah, I thought all of that, but I went for the jokelines instead.

I'm sick that way. :) Never read Allastair Reynolds, but I've read things similar in ways. I don't think the complications are enough to justify heading off the science. On the other hand, as a vegetarian, I have issues with raising animals to be farmed for human parts. But I won't bother forming a moral opinion on the whole matter until the science even proves it's possible. After all, who even knows what function the DNA of our brains actually play in our abilities. During the Renaissance and Enlightenment eras, people became convinced that you could build mechanical creatures that would function like real ones. The underlying mindset was that animals, even humans, were simply mechanical and chemical creations, and putting everything together in the right chemical and mechanical way could create real animals. The Frankenstein story came out of this mindset, where the body parts were put together, and a spark created life to animate it all.

We now don't think that life is that simple to create. We may find that the same thing is true in this experiment, that there is something beyond just matching DNA to making organs that can take the place of human organs, and beyond just making more genetically human brains to creating human-like intelligence. An animal with 15% human brain cells may not have 15% brain capacity.

So I'll worry more about the issue when it becomes clear that it is an issue, I guess. I think the Sci-Fi writers will make sure we are aware of all the possibilities. :)

[Carni]

50. Oh Pulleeeazzz! Nonsense!

"Is it really fair to create such a being in the first place, and where would such being fit in a world dominated by humans?"

No worries...They'll always have a home over at freerepublic! ;)

[dweller]

20. Baa Ram Ewe ...

...i don't know why i said that .

dp

[Catherine Vincent]

21. I guess that figures.

Is that where the term "black sheep" come from? :)

[zulchzulu]

25. Mmmm.... vealman cutlets...

Tastes like chicken...

[CottonBear]

27. OMG!

:rofl:
:spank: You made me laugh out loud here at work!

[tandot]

28. Why waste money on that research? They should have just gone to FreeRepublic.

A sheep that is about 15% human. Must be a freeper.

[jobycom]

35. You are insulting these poor sheep. nt

[geardaddy]

29. I know I'm being picky, but

Isn't this sentence a bit, I don't know, wrong?

"Sheep have 15 percent human cells and 85 percent animal cells."

Wouldn't that be 100% animal cells? We are animals after all.

[BurtWorm]

32. Good point.

The word should have been "sheep" instead of "animal." :thumbsup:

[EstimatedProphet]

31. Lamb is people! IT'S PEOPLE!!!

[The2ndWheel]

34. I really do have to stop giving a damn

It doesn't matter. If we can, and we will try, we will turn the planet into...it doesn't matter. We will reach our goal, or die trying. We have to turn life into a productive machine. What good are sheep anyway? What do they do? They sit around all day. Why not fuck with their DNA to harvest our organs? It makes complete sense when you think about how detached we ultimately wish to be.

We're a frightened, frail, and fucked up species. We're sick, we really are. This need for control is disturbing. But hey, we can't stop it. That's why I have to stop giving a damn.

[BayCityProgressive]

40. sOMETHING ABOUT THIS JUST DOESN'T SIT RIGHT WITH ME

IT'S CREEPY.

[The2ndWheel]

43. Hey, someone who gives a damn

You're lost. It doesn't matter what sits well with you. The goal that is being attempted is bigger than any creepy feeling you get. It's all about production, efficiency, predictability. It's about a lack of actual diversity. If we have sheep running, or sitting, around with their own organs, how does that benefit what we're trying to do?

Either get on board, or you'll be left behind. Better yet, we'll force you to come along, take your organs(they're already 100% human) since you're not part of the future anyway, and then we'll trim the fat.

[hedda_foil]

36. Well that answers our question about "human-animal" hybrids.

[Iwasthere]

41. Surprised we haven't seen any farmboy jokes yet...

[Jackpine Radical]

44. Wait'll ya see the human-goat cross.

It'll look like a faun, and they'll name it "Randy."

[aikoaiko]

45. I love science. Thank you scientists.

[BlueManDude]

46. Future base of the GOP

[gauguin57]

48. We have a president who's 85 percent chimp and 15 percent human.

So what's the big deal?

[HamdenRice]

49. I WANT MY MONKEY MAN!!!

That's quoting Bart Simpson, but the sentiment is the same: When are they going to make a human-chimp chimera so that we can have monkey men?