Human-animal hybrids

Written December, 2012

The idea of a chimera comes straight out of Greek mythology, but so far scientists have kept human-animal hybrids on the cellular level. According to some, even more modest experiments involving animal embryos and human stem cells violate human dignity and blur the line between species. But scientists have received support (particularly in the UK) from both the government and the public, after explaining the process as well as their (so far benign) research goals. Is interspecies research the next frontier in understanding humanity and curing disease, or a slippery slope, rife with ethical dilemmas, toward creating new species?

What are animal-human hybrids (chimeras)?

Chimera embryo

What are chimeras? (Center for Bioethics, University of Minnesota)

Q&A on human-animal hybrids (PBS)

Animals containing human material (The US Academy of Medical Sciences)

What are the ethical issues?

Human/Nonhuman Chimeras: Assessing the Issues, 2012 (by Henry Greely), (Oxford Handbooks Online)

Ligers, Tigons, and Splice: Human-Animal Hybrids, 2012 (The Center for Bioethics and Human Dignity)
How has this issue been covered in the popular press?

Chimeras