Scientists have created a human-pig hybrid in a milestone study that raises the prospect of being able to grow human organs inside animals for use in transplants.
It marks the first time that embryos combining two large, distantly-related species have been produced. The creation of this so-called chimera–named after the cross-species beast of Greek mythology–has been hailed as a significant first step towards generating human hearts, livers and kidneys from scratch.
Juan Carlos Izpisua Belmonte, who led the work on the part-pig, part-human embryos at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, California, said: “The ultimate goal is to grow functional and transplantable tissue or organs, but we are far away from that. This is an important first step.”
The study has reignited ethical concerns that have threatened to overshadow the field’s clinical promise. The work inevitably raises the spectre of intelligent animals with humanised brains and also the potential for bizarre hybrid creatures to be accidentally released into the wild. The US National Institutes of Health (NIH) placed a moratorium on funding for the controversial experiments last year while these risks were considered.
Izpisua Belmonte said that fears around chimeras were inspired largely by mythology rather than the realities of meticulously controlled experiments. But he acknowledged: “The idea of having an animal being born composing of human cells creates some feelings that need to be addressed.”
Professor Daniel Garry, a cardiologist and head of a different chimera project at the University of Minnesota, said that the rapid progress in chimera research had prompted a range of troubling questions, including whether the progeny would look more human or more pig, what would happen if a chimera had a human thought and whether it was possible for the human cells to cannibalise the pig embryo, resulting in a mostly-human, slightly-pig offspring.
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Some Bible scholars believe that before the flood there may have existed cross breading between animals and humans; and humans and spiritual beings, fallen angels.
The Bible says, "The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth."
Early the Bible notes, "There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God (created spiritual beings, or fallen angels, as recorded in the Book of Enoch) came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown."
The book of Enoch tells us these descendants from demons and woman taught men evil things like mixing of metals to make arms, the mixing of plants to make drugs, music, but not to glorify God.
Back to the Bible: "And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually."
Jesus tells us that as it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be in the days of the coming of the Son of Man. Some Bible scholars believe that the cross breeding between humans and spiritual entities occurred during the time of Noah and will again in the last days.
Surely man has crossed over Biblical ethical guide lines by crossing animal cells with a human embryo. The destruction of the potential child for so-called scientific discovery is not justifiable with a God who has made life sacred. But man wants to play God and be God and have no other Gods before him; a sad commentary on today's world.
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