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Japan approves first human-animal embryo experiments

nature.com

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Re: Japan approves first human-animal embryo experiments

#91

Post by mrfusion »

noir_lord wrote: post #75
algorias wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Presumably, the eventual goal is to grow full-sized organs inside some larger animal. Then the organ can be harvested and transplanted to a human who needs it. Per my understanding, medicine does a lot of work with rats because they're cheap and easy to work with, so any new technology of this type would be tried on rats first. By the way, my neutral explanation above doesn't mean that I approve of doing such things.…

I'm not remotely torn about it, taken to the finish, it's a human organ with my dna grown in a pig and then transplanted into me. We already eat bacon and use large mammal heart valves in surgery. I mean we wear the skin of cows, grease things with their rendered fat and use them for glue. This seems like a strange point to be torn on.

Remember that a bio ethicist has years of education on smart ways to block stuff like this.

If they didn’t block this stuff they wouldn’t have a job.

Re: Japan approves first human-animal embryo experiments

#92

Post by dang »

gridlockd wrote: post #16
kldaace wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Assuming the Japanese don't have debates on bioethics. Nice.

He didn't assume that. Also, you're making the internet a worse place by accusing him of doing that. You should feel bad.

Please don't respond to a bad comment by breaking the site guidelines yourself. That only makes this place worse still.

https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

Re: Japan approves first human-animal embryo experiments

#93

Post by dbrian »

rebuilder wrote: post #65
bluecalm wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If significant % of the population doesn't think it's problematic it should be allowed as long as it doesn't influence lives of the other part. You can easily opt out of any stem cells based research or treatment, we can make it not state funded. Opposing that is the kind of self-righteous aggressive morality I despise. It's the same with abortion: about half the population thinks it's ok to let a woman decide. It do…

Wouldn't we still have slavery if we did things the way you suggest?

That would very clearly negatively affect the opposing party.

Re: Japan approves first human-animal embryo experiments

#94

Post by mrfusion »

munificent wrote: post #59
toomuchtodo wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Perhaps even further than that! It may make humanity realize that, just as oil is too valuable to burn, pigs are too valuable to use for bacon instead of life saving medical treatments.

Well, if you have to slaughter the pig to remove its human pancreas for transplant anyway , the ethical thing to do is extract as much value as you can by also using its delicious, delicious meat. (Which hopefully does not contain too many migrated human cells.)

That’s getting close to cannabalism. Especially if some Human cells start circulating around its bloodstream.

Re: Japan approves first human-animal embryo experiments

#95

Post by giantsloth »

fjcp wrote: post #72
Bayart wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, if you're allowing abortion on the basis that an embryo isn't human life, you're by extension allowing this.

Right, that's what I am saying. If even that discussion isn't settled yet, we should be more careful and wait before mixing humans and animals.

That discussion is settled. The lie that it isn’t, is continued to oppress and make public the female body to continue her unpaid labor in both reproducing the work force and her unpaid labor in managing her family for the benefit of the corporation.

Re: Japan approves first human-animal embryo experiments

#96

Post by HillaryBriss »

toomuchtodo wrote: post #9
algorias wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Presumably, the eventual goal is to grow full-sized organs inside some larger animal. Then the organ can be harvested and transplanted to a human who needs it. Per my understanding, medicine does a lot of work with rats because they're cheap and easy to work with, so any new technology of this type would be tried on rats first. By the way, my neutral explanation above doesn't mean that I approve of doing such things.…

Hopefully the use of animals for tissue incubation and harvesting is a bridge to a future when animals are no longer required for human tissue synthesis. Artificial womb experiments are going well [1], as well as tissue synthesis for cultured meat (which is just animal muscle), so...maybe? [1] https://www.theverge.com/2017/4/25/15421734/artificial-womb-...

> when animals are no longer required

maybe an impossible burger?

Re: Japan approves first human-animal embryo experiments

#97

Post by giantsloth »

vorpalhex wrote: post #15
ETHisso2017 wrote: post #13

I worry about allowing Japan, a country that has refused to fully own up to the biomedical atrocities it committed with Unit 731, to lead the way on these kinds of experiments. I would feel much more comfortable if there was international ethical oversight.

1945 was a long time ago and a very different Japan... We don't still force Germany to have caps on its army.

Japan still has the same royal succession and still denies the atrocities committed during the rape of Nanking... while obviously it’s different, there’s still a problematic and long lasting connection to the Japan of the 40s.

Re: Japan approves first human-animal embryo experiments

#98

Post by alexandercrohde »

lewaldman wrote: post #35

Why all comments are being down-voted? (Personally... I think this tech is amazing and I can't wait for it to be available worldwide!)

You mean the South Park references that add no contribution to this scientific article? Or people broadcasting their moral opinions into the void?

I don't see any good comments downvoted.

Re: Japan approves first human-animal embryo experiments

#99

Post by carapace »

It beats organlegging (which is a real thing now) but we should be able to regrow our own organs and limbs.

Becker, "The Body Electric" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Body_Electric_(book)

But then he died and most research dried up, but now there's Levin: https://ase.tufts.edu/biology/labs/levin/

Re: Japan approves first human-animal embryo experiments

#100

Post by viach »

pgt wrote: post #83
viach wrote: post #64

I understand (and agree with) all these moral related questions and why so many downvotes in this topic. What is interesting, when one nation develops this tech and their people will live, say, 150 years, will these morals survive in other countries?

Like iPhone manufacturing, the West will buy the finished product before it allows the experimentation under its roof.

Might be. But it is quite different from iPhone manufacturing. It actually could more dangerous than nukes. West will just buy this you say, but why it is not possible now to just buy several intercontinental ballistic missiles? There are people with enough money and desire to buy this.
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