World gone mad

[Kenn]

What are they thinking of?
I was watching a european news report tonight and was horrified to hear that cloned animals are to be allowed into the american food chain together with milk products.
Many of us will remember Dolly the sheep, some were amazed that it could be done and others wondered if this was the right path for science to be pursuing.
Sadly Dolly did nort live for too long and other cloned animals have suffered the same fate.This would beggar the question as to why? Is it in the genetic make up or the fact that a test tube cannot provide the same conditions as an embryo nutured in it's natural mother?
I am not very scientifically minded and although I can see that certain medical conditions might benefit from this.I certainly cannot see the need to clone animals for the table.
Here's hoping that along with genetically modified crops this meat will be given a total ban by The European Union.

[dandod]

it is another sad sign of the times. the problem these days is that these scientists know too much. did you see the thing on the news today about permission being give to make animal human hybrids.i think this is a step too far what on earth do they need to do this for.does this mean jekylla nd hyde and frankenstein could become real??

[Lolabelle]

I'm with you Lizz, it's not as if we can't get beef any other way, and I am all for the natural way.
I think technology and science is amazing, but why mess with something that is working quite well.

[TBH]

What are they thinking of?
I was watching a european news report tonight and was horrified to hear that cloned animals are to be allowed into the american food chain together with milk products.
Many of us will remember Dolly the sheep, some were amazed that it could be done and others wondered if this was the right path for science to be pursuing.
Sadly Dolly did nort live for too long and other cloned animals have suffered the same fate.This would beggar the question as to why? Is it in the genetic make up or the fact that a test tube cannot provide the same conditions as an embryo nutured in it's natural mother?
I am not very scientifically minded and although I can see that certain medical conditions might benefit from this.I certainly cannot see the need to clone animals for the table.
Here's hoping that along with genetically modified crops this meat will be given a total ban by The European Union.Part of the reason they die so quickly is because the cells in the clone are the same age as the cells in the animal they have cloned.

[Yoda the flump]

Now, I'm not saying that I advocate this BUT....

Are we so against this and GM technology because it does not matter to us.

Lets face it, Europe is never going to go hungary, but if you lived in Africa would you be so anti the technology. Five million children die in Africa every year through lack of food, if this and other technologies can help stem this shocking death rate surely we have a moral obligation to of least investigate it?

[Lolabelle]

Five million children die in Africa every year through lack of food, if this and other technologies can help stem this shocking death rate surely we have a moral obligation to of least investigate it?

I see your point, Yoda, but I think the starving masses in Africa is more to do with politics than lack of food, unfortunately.

[Yoda the flump]

In some cases yes, Zimbabwe being a good example but the worlds population is expanding rapidly and there is just a finite capacity to produce food.

With all the changes in climate this capacity appears to be diminishing rapidly, just look at the flooding in the UK this summer and the dramatic rise in cereal prices.

There comes a point when maybe we do have to seriously address this issue, and not just dismiss it out of hand as the work of Frankenstien.

[Anne x]

In some cases yes, Zimbabwe being a good example but the worlds population is expanding rapidly and there is just a finite capacity to produce food.

With all the changes in climate this capacity appears to be diminishing rapidly, just look at the flooding in the UK this summer and the dramatic rise in cereal prices.

There comes a point when maybe we do have to seriously address this issue, and not just dismiss it out of hand as the work of Frankenstien.

I agree !!! flooding in England has seen our prices rise dramatically especially in the the south of England and the loss of crops has led to a huge increase in produce etc in the supermarket and always has a knock on effect to the consumer as to Dolly she was Scottish and Edinburgh modified RIP Dolly

[rob1]

Lets make it clear. Dolly was put down due to a lung disease and arthritis. Her autopsy showed she suffered from the lung disease Jaagsiekte, which i understand to be common is sheep kept indoors like Dolly. Apparantly Dolly also had short telomeres for her age. As she was born with the genetic age of 6 this is quite understandable.
As for the animal/human hybrids, it sounds worse than it is. All they do is use bovine mitochondria. Mitochondria are where the energy is made to power the cell, so it's like a battery. If i were to change the make of battery in my iPod, it would still be an Apple iPod, just a different power source, same principles. So no strange half man half cow creature.

[Riffman]

There are several issues here:

1) Cloning animals for food
2) lack of food in africa
3) Human/animla hybirds

1) I personally do not see the point on cloning or genetically modifying animals for food. The farmers have a hard enough time as it is without adding more expense.

2) These is enough spare food going around that Europe and America could feed the whole of africa if they wanted too. But on the flipside, why can you buy beans flown in from kenya at tescos if they are so short of food? Its politics again.

3) That is just wrong. Creating hybrid humans to experiment with, it is only one step removed from the Nazis experiments on humans.

[Donnie]

I don't see a problem with it at all. Cloning is a very taboo subject especially with God fearing types but I'm all for it. Just think of all the possibilities, all the doors it could unlock. It's very possible that one day this could eradicate famine and resolve things like blood and organ donor shortages.

[Riffman]

I don't see a problem with it at all. Cloning is a very taboo subject especially with God fearing types but I'm all for it. Just think of all the possibilities, all the doors it could unlock. It's very possible that one day this could eradicate famine and resolve things like blood and organ donor shortages.

All the those problems you describe could be solved right now without the need for thousands of identical sheep.....

Eradicate famine? Give them the tools to grow their own food.

Blood donar & organ shortage? Well looks like the government are already dealing for that one. We just need people to be less SELFISH!!

The world revolves around greed, consumerism, and money. There will always be an imbalance, its the way it goes.

[Donnie]

Give a man a fish and he can eat for a day, Give that same man a cloning machine.... ;)


But I guess your right, why bother when the solutions are already there...


Well while we're at it why don't we stop research in to Lung Cancer too. Lets just wait for people to quit being so selfish and stop polluting the air.


Oh and lets get rid of Aids Research too. If people just stopped being so silly it wouldnt be a problem...


Who needs science when we can just wait for the goodwill bug to spread!

[dandod]

Give a man a fish and he can eat for a day, Give that same man a cloning machine.... ;)


But I guess your right, why bother when the solutions are already there...


Well while we're at it why don't we stop research in to Lung Cancer too. Lets just wait for people to quit being so selfish and stop polluting the air.


Oh and lets get rid of Aids Research too. If people just stopped being so silly it wouldnt be a problem...


Who needs science when we can just wait for the goodwill bug to spread!

there is a big difference between eating cloned food and and stopping aids and cancer research. what possible reason on this whole earth would there be a need for animal human hybrids.

[Riffman]

Ah, but we can't stop people smoking....the government would loose too much money...

There are plenty of drugs that get turned down each year purely because of cost that could save lives. Yet they ignore that and rattle on about global warming and other such rubbish.

What is more worrying is that embryo selection where we will be able to 'choose' a healthy one that could be an organ doner. Well I would be mighty pissed off if my parents gave birth to me just to take my organs.

The worrying thing is that it will soon be legal if they get their way. How far away is it from human selection based on race, eye colour....

We can already abort a baby if it is not conveniant to have it, so not much further to choosing your baby type. Yet if I went out and killed a someone because they were disabled I would get sent to jail?? It seems that it is just based on size. A baby before its born can be killed without punishment. Kill it once it is born and you will get locked up? What's the different? Just a few inches of flesh.

What a crazy place we live in.

[scorrie]

twhat possible reason on this whole earth would there be a need for animal human hybrids.

Well, an Octopus/Human hybrid could make a damn fine Pianist.

To be serious though, if we are to grow new hearts (and other organs) and eradicate cancers, then we will end up in a scenario where people are living longer. Not only will they be living longer, they will often end up in a situation where the body is working well but the brain has deteriorated. There would be many more living with various forms of dementia. Do we really want to have hospitals filled with old people who may well have preferred to have passed on, rather than suffer a living death?

[danc1ngwitch]

shouldna fool wea mother nature:eek:

[brandy]

at the same time think of all the children that need transplants,and are on waiting lists , with no end in sight. and with the increase in life expectancy and the higher birth rate. not to mention the destruction of our natural resourses and all the species of animals becoming exstinct because of man. i think its great to research the ins and outs of these sciences.
we are not talking wolf men and super soldiers here.. we are talking about growing organs and skin..lord think of all the burn victims!
its all very easy to sit back and say, let nature take its course, but at the end of the day if it was your loved one that was dying and in agony,i bet you would want to do anything in your power to save them. their will always be people out there that will be trying to turn it into a weapon, make money or be just down right nasty. however there will always be someone there trying to save a young child, or a mother or father son or daughter. and i applaud them for thier hard work and study to try and better the world

[Tymey]

does this mean jekylla nd hyde and frankenstein could become real??

Frankenstein was the creator not the monster.

Maybe that's your point though.

[Yoda the flump]

shouldna fool wea mother nature:eek:

We already do, its just how far you take it.

[TBH]

Is it ok to clone someone then harvest the stem cells once that foetus is dead?