wilpig wrote:
] ] Scientists in China have, for the first time, used
] ] cloning techniques to create hybrid embryos that contain
] ] a mix of DNA from both humans and rabbits, according to a
] ] report in a scientific journal that has reignited the
] ] smoldering ethics debate over cloning research.
]
] Even though they claim most of the rabbit DNA was removed
] prior to the fusing, how valid of a test cell would these
] actually be? Without having 100% of the qualities of a normal
] cell how could we actually use these and get reliable results?

Actually pretty valid. They suck out the nucleus of the rabbit egg, which disposes of all the DNA. The only DNA left in the hybrid cell from the Rabbit is mitochondrial DNA, because mitochodria are in the cytoplasm. They do have 100% of the qualities of a normal cell...every part of a cell is there....its just that some parts (especially cytoplasmic parts) come from the rabbit egg, and the genetic material comes from the human cells. This is a useful thing, because researchers can use a system like this to get new stem cells without it being as unethically sound.

sorry...had to get all geeky there for a second:)

RE: Cloning Yields Human-Rabbit Hybrid Embryo (washingtonpost.com)