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To: Calpernia
Calpernia,So they are putting a fertilized egg into a embryo?.
33 posted on 09/08/2005 7:32:36 PM PDT by fatima
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To: fatima
I didn't follow all of the sci fi tech speak on the implementation of it.

Sounded something like the DNA of the male + female to fertilize and then an added cocktail from another female for cosmetic purposes.

IMO they are violating their hypocritic oath.
34 posted on 09/08/2005 7:38:17 PM PDT by Calpernia (Breederville.com)
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To: fatima
So they are putting a fertilized egg into a embryo?.

No, they are taking an unfertilized egg from one mother, removing its ooplasm---the material surrounding the nucleus, where the chromosomes are---and injecting that ooplasm into the fertilized egg. I'm not sure whether it is a full replacement of the fertilized egg's ooplasm or whether it is simply an addition to it.

The reason they would do this is to counter genetic defects in the embryo's mitochondrial DNA. This is DNA that is passed only from the mother and is not in the 46 chromosomes themselves. If that DNA is defective it can lead to certain disorders like some muscular dystrophy-like symptoms.

Again, not to defend the practice as ethical necessarily, but it is worth pointing out that this is NOT done simply to create a designer baby but rather to correct known and significant defects. It likely wouldn't pass the ethical test for anyone who believes life should be protected from conception, however, because it puts the egg at risk not commensurate with the severity of the disorder.

46 posted on 09/08/2005 10:42:11 PM PDT by mcg1969
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