Scientists based in China have created a monkey chimera with two sets of DNA, experimental work they say could ultimately benefit medical research and the conservation of endangered species.
The monkey, which lived for 10 days before being euthanized, was made by combining stem cells from a cynomolgus monkey — also known as a crab-eating or long-tailed macaque, a primate used in biomedical research — with a genetically distinct embryo from the same monkey species. It’s the world’s first live birth of a primate chimera created with stem cells, the researchers said.
Something quite similar to this happens naturally in humans, where one embryo absorbs its twin in the womb. The real reprehensible thing about this is how the scientists throw out the baby monkey like it's trash right afterwards. Is infanticide only bad when it's done to humans?
Something quite similar to this happens naturally in humans, where one embryo absorbs its twin in the womb. The real reprehensible thing about this is how the scientists throw out the baby monkey like it's trash right afterwards. Is infanticide only bad when it's done to humans?