the humanzee coming?

[Guest guest]

Published 29 April 2008

By JENNY HAWORTH

A LEADING scientist has warned a new species of " humanzee, "

created from breeding apes with humans, could become a reality unless the

government acts to stop scientists experimenting.

In an interview with The Scotsman, Dr Calum MacKellar, director of

research at the Scottish Council on Human Bioethics, warned the

controversial draft Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill did not

prevent human sperm being inseminated into animals.

He said if a female chimpanzee was inseminated with human sperm the two

species would be closely enough related that a hybrid could be

born.

He said scientists could possibly try to develop the new species to fill

the demand for organ donors.

Leading scientists say there is no reason why the two species could not

breed, although they question why anyone would want to try such a

technique.

 

Other hybrid species already created include crossed tigers and lions and

sheep and goats.

Dr MacKellar said he feared the consequences if scientists made a

concerted effort to cross humans with chimpanzees. He said: " Nobody

knows what they would get if they tried hard enough. The insemination of

animals with human sperm should be prohibited.

" The Human Fertilisation and Embryo Bill prohibits the placement of

animal sperm into a woman The reverse is not prohibited. It's not even

mentioned. This should not be the case. "

He said if the process was not banned, scientists would be " very

likely " to try it, and it would be likely humans and chimps could

successfully reproduce.

" If you put human sperm into a frog it would probably create an

embryo, but it probably wouldn't go very far, " he said.

" But if you do it with a non-human primate it's not beyond the

realms of possibility that it could be born alive. "

Dr MacKellar said the resulting creature could raise ethical dilemmas,

such as whether it would be treated as human or animal, and what rights

it would have.

 

For whole article:

 

http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/latestnews/Exclusive-Half-man-half-chimp.4028970.jp