Chimeras are moving out of the stories and into the world with the latest scientific advances but they appear no less monstrous, writes Jason Osborne
Chimeras once stalked the landscape of legend and myth. In Greek mythology they were one of the more famous kinds of monster, composed of the parts of more than one animal – be it a lion, goat, snake or range of other creatures. Often able to breathe fire, the chimera was something to be feared. Disregarding this fear though, our world strides towards them.
Monkey-man
Making waves in recent weeks was the announcement that a team of scientists in the US and China have managed to create a “monkey-man” by injecting human stem cells into monkey blastocytes, forming a hybrid embryo. While some of the headlines were sensationalist, the development is not to be taken lightly, as it signals a further foray by the sciences into disputed territory.
Lead researcher on the project Dr Juan Carlos Izpisua Belmonte said they then managed to keep some of the embryos alive for up to 20 days. Speaking about the reasons behind the controversial research to NPR, Dr Belmonte said demand for organ transplants is much higher than supply, suggesting that new avenues have to be explored to meet that demand.
Speaking in the same article, bioethicist at Case Western Reserve University and Harvard University Insoo Hyun backed up Dr Belmonte’s comments, by saying such research was aimed at “lofty humanitarian goals”.
Transplantation
Dr Hyun added that thousands of people die every year waiting for transplants in the United States alone, and that research such as is being carried out with the embryos could be an important step towards finding new ways to grow organs for transplantation in other animals.
Other scientists have echoed their support, with organ transplantation being the main justification offered in response to the concerns raised by many. This is not the first time this defence has been offered, with scientists in 2000 defending in the same way the creation of two pig-human embryos.
The method of creation on that occasion was the extraction of nuclei cells from a human foetus and the inserting of them into a pig’s egg cells. Overseen by American and Australian scientists, the embryos were allowed to grow to 32 cells before being destroyed. On that occasion, the scientists said the embryos would have grown further if they had been implanted in the womb of either a woman or a sow. The creation of pig-human embryos has been replicated since, albeit in different manners and places.
Such developments have resulted in kickback across the board, with science and technology fellow at Rice University, Texas, Kirstin Matthews summing up the opposition in the same article:
“My first question is: Why?” she said.
“I think the public is going to be concerned, and I am as well, that we’re just kind of pushing forward with science without having a proper conversation about what we should or should not do.”
Today, this is often taken to mean that the creators of these texts and maps didn’t know what lay beyond, so they simply filled in the blanks with monsters”
The ethics of hybrid creatures have always occupied the edges of human consciousness and imagination. For Catholics the Bible sets the tone, with chapter six of Genesis making reference to the sons of God mixing with the daughters of men to create the Nephilim, a shadowy creation that was in some way responsible for the flood – a narrative suggesting that God wasn’t happy with the development.
Similarly, classical and medieval texts and tapestries are replete with references to monsters at the edge of the world. Today, this is often taken to mean that the creators of these texts and maps didn’t know what lay beyond, so they simply filled in the blanks with monsters. A deeper reading is required though.
The “monsters at the edge of the world” trope means that as you expand your knowledge or vision of the world, you surely encounter things you don’t expect. Just as it was true for sailors exploring the world’s seas, and explorers searching new lands, it’s also true for scientists probing new fields of study and possibility.
As sailors may have been stunned by the discovery of the monstrous giant squid or sperm whale, and as European travellers would have been struck by the strange animals they encountered in Africa, Asia and America, so too are we today shocked by what we encounter as the bounds of scientific possibility are pushed.
The difference between the discoveries of old and today’s creations though is just that – the “monsters” once chanced upon are a part of the natural world and play key roles in the complex web of nature, whereas today’s monsters are artificial creations that stray into dangerous ethical territory.
While much of this research and exploration has taken place in the US and around the world, there is nothing to say that it could not come to Ireland’s shores. A parliamentary question submitted by Laois-Offaly TD Carol Nolan sought to clarify the legality of the “generation of interspecies, chimeric, hybrid embryos”.
The response from the Department of Health revealed that there is currently no specific legislation regulating chimeric or interspecies hybrid embryos, which is to say, there’s nothing prohibiting the practice here currently.
However, the response did go on to say that the drafting of a bill on assisted human reproduction (AHR) and associated areas of research is ongoing, and that sections of it would address and seek to regulate research involving embryos. Part 7 of the bill would prohibit the “creation of embryos specifically for research purposes and also prohibits certain practices that may be associated with embryo and stem cell research, for example, the generation of chimeric or human-animal hybrid embryos”.
It seems more likely that the ever-present lure of greater technology will override whatever concerns we have, and monsters may well end up walking out of our progressive dreams”
The response assured that the Assisted Human Reproduction Bill would ensure that AHR practices and related areas of research are standardised and conducted with the necessary oversight.
In a country that so eagerly embraced abortion, the question remains as to what grounds the dignity of human life will be defended on. It seems more likely that the ever-present lure of greater technology will override whatever concerns we have, and monsters may well end up walking out of our progressive dreams.