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Scientist looking for volunteer surrogate for Neanderthal cloning

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  • 21-01-2013 7:24pm
    #1
    Scarinae
    Hosted Moderators Posts: 11,362 ✭✭✭✭


    A genetics professor from Harvard has said it would be possible to clone a Neanderthal baby from ancient DNA if he could find a woman willing to act as a surrogate.
    He told Der Spiegel, the German magazine: “I have already managed to attract enough DNA from fossil bones to reconstruct the DNA of the human species largely extinct. Now I need an adventurous female human.”

    The professor claims that he could introduce parts of the Neanderthal genome to human stem cells and clone them to create a foetus that could then be implanted in a woman.

    Do you think this will ever actually happen? Whatever about cloning sheep or mammoths, I would have thought that when humans are involved there would be many more ethical barriers. I'm not sure I'd be too keen on carrying a Neanderthal foetus personally, as who knows what the medical complications could turn out to be.


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    #2
    Ziphius
    Registered Users Posts: 714 ✭✭✭Ziphius


    Public acceptance of human cloning will be needed first. And I see this lagging far behind any technological refinements needed to perfect and make everyday the process.


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    #3
    Adam Khor
    Registered Users Posts: 5,279 ✭✭✭Adam Khor


    Scarinae wrote: »
    A genetics professor from Harvard has said it would be possible to clone a Neanderthal baby from ancient DNA if he could find a woman willing to act as a surrogate.



    Do you think this will ever actually happen? Whatever about cloning sheep or mammoths, I would have thought that when humans are involved there would be many more ethical barriers. I'm not sure I'd be too keen on carrying a Neanderthal foetus personally, as who knows what the medical complications could turn out to be.

    This is crazy news D: I didn´t know there was already enough DNA to clone one. I thought we would have to wait until they found a frozen body!

    I doubt this will ever happen, what with the ethical problems regarding Homo sapiens cloning, but... wouldn´t it be fascinating? :cool:


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    #4
    Capt'n Midnight
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 91,802 Mod ✭✭✭✭Capt'n Midnight


    There were women who wanted to have the ice-man's baby so yeah they'll get someone.


    Remember the Endemol Kidney transplant show ?
    The makers of the Dutch De Grote Donorshow (The Big Donor Show) promised a one-off programme in which a terminally ill woman would chose which of three contestants would receive her kidneys when she died.
    OK it was a hoax, but the foot is in the door and stuff like this has long been a staple of SciFi



    I could imagine MTV doing a show on this , possibly even as a competition !


    So funding isn't a problem


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    #5
    Galvasean
    Registered Users Posts: 30,746 ✭✭✭✭Galvasean


    I look forward to MTV's My Big Neanderthal Baby show...


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    #6
    Adam Khor
    Registered Users Posts: 5,279 ✭✭✭Adam Khor


    Apparently this is just another case of the press getting things wrong and saying them worse:

    http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/no-harvard-geneticist-not-trying-clone-neanderthal-baby-213859546.html


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