Scientists Have Created Embryos That Are Part Human, Part Monkey

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A team of scientists reported for the first time Thursday they have created embryos that are part human and part monkey and grown them in a lab for up to 20 days, a controversial practice that scientists say could help develop treatments for diseases and pave the way to growing much needed organs for human transplantation.

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Chimeras, the combination of cells from multiple species, are controversial, especially when involving human or non-human primates. The moral status of these part-human animals is a particularly thorny issue, as they must have enough humanity to be useful for experiments, or one day,to grow human organs, but not enough humanity so as to warrant protection from experimentation. This work does not encroach on many of these issues, with the embryos being grown in laboratories and for such a short time span. This experiment is a major development, however, and has reignited debate over whether such experiments are ethically permissible. 

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The University of Oxford’s Professor Julian Savulescu, a specialist in practical ethics, said “the most difficult issue (for this research) lies in the future,” adding that it “opens Pandora’s box to human-nonhuman chimeras.” Savulescu said it is “only a matter of time before human-nonhuman chimeras are successfully developed,” one of the long-term goals of this kind of research. Any live-born chimeras must have their lives and mental capacities assessed before being experimented on, he added.

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