The new developments that science and technology will or may bring to us can sometimes be beyond our minds and dreams. It’s like a new human-animal mix!
So is such a thing really possible? What are the positive or negative results? Is it ethical? Let’s take a look at the answers to all these confusing questions together.
Hybrid species already exist in nature, resulting from the interbreeding of other species.
With the mating of animals of different species, what we call ‘hybrids’ can be born. The most well-known of these is the geep (goat + sheep), which is the result of the mating of mules, goats and sheep, which is born from the mating of donkey and horse. However, when animals of different species mate with each other, they cannot continue their lineage in this way.
The closer the animals are to each other in the genetic tree, the higher the chance of survival of the offspring. However, not every baby born can reproduce. Some hybrids can never reproduce and continue their species. Therefore, it is useful to say that the subject we will talk about is different from the horse-donkey hybrid.
For years, scientists have experimented with combining humans’ genes with different animals.
These experiments were usually performed on animals such as mice and pigs. Although the issue of ethics is debatable, there were also some very interesting results. For example, a mouse with an ear on it!
What would happen if we transplant stem cells into animal embryos?
When we transplant a stem cell into an animal embryo such as a mouse, these stem cells can transform into any other type of cell, progress to the brain and make changes that will enable the animal’s cognitive development.
Mice; animals that can become conscious of what is going on around them and that can experience feelings of fear, anxiety and happiness like humans. However, if this stem cell brings about changes that will enable cognitive development, mice with consciousness as high as humans or different species may emerge depending on the animal in which the experiment is performed.
New experiments continue to be conducted to transplant human cells into animal embryos.
The main purpose of these experiments; to see if animals can grow healthily with human organs. If such a thing is possible, people will be able to transplant from animals when the need for organs arises.
Such experiments are unfortunately unethical because it is known that the animals used in the experiments are killed and suffer until the desired result is achieved, but it is a fact that it will open a new era in science.
Instead, if we enter a period where we can produce our organs artificially as technology continues to develop, we can of course live without the need for any animal testing! In fact, studies also support that methods that do not use animals yield better results in modeling and treating human diseases.
Facilitating gene editing with CRISPR technology can also lead to the creation of new species.
CRISPR, one of the gene editing technologies; In addition to humans, it can play a role in regulating the DNA of other living things such as plants, animals and viruses. Thanks to this technology, our DNA strands can be cut and reassembled with “genetic scissors”.
CRISPR, whose main purpose is to improve health and quality of life; It’s really exciting to develop new drugs, detect diseased genes and develop new treatments. Moreover, it is predicted that thanks to gene editing, organs compatible with humans of different species can be created.
CRISPR technology does not yet have a purpose like the “human-animal hybrid” creatures we are talking about.
When you think of this technology in terms of combining the genes of other animals or plants with humans, the results can be frightening! For now, CRISPR is used for genetic disorders such as hemophilia and sickle cell anemia, but we don’t know exactly what we may witness as this scope expands.
If people take the form of “half human half animal” like a demigod, it may have consequences that we cannot avoid.
Throughout history, thousands of wars have been fought and continue to be fought between humans. Today; If there are species with horses below the waist, human species that can fly, and agile species such as cats, this time, interspecies wars will probably begin.
Of course, this is a very distant thought for now. For now, the most recent developments are to transfer some genes of humans to animals with different results and pave the way for future experiments and developments.
Some scholars say that as humans we should not play “theism”.
As a research assistant in neuroethics, Dr. Mackenzie Graham said, “People shouldn’t play god. He should not create unnatural things. “If our goal is to create creatures with a higher moral level, for example, if we want to create a species with higher cognitive capacity, it’s wrong from the start to do these experiments.” says.
We leave you with the interpretation of what can happen when such a thing happens, even now, while there is debate about whether transgender women should be in women’s sport!
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