Scientist looking for volunteer surrogate for Neanderthal cloning

Scarinae

A genetics professor from Harvard has said it would be possible to clone a Neanderthal baby from ancient DNA if he could find a woman willing to act as a surrogate.

He told Der Spiegel, the German magazine: “I have already managed to attract enough DNA from fossil bones to reconstruct the DNA of the human species largely extinct. Now I need an adventurous female human.”

The professor claims that he could introduce parts of the Neanderthal genome to human stem cells and clone them to create a foetus that could then be implanted in a woman.

Do you think this will ever actually happen? Whatever about cloning sheep or mammoths, I would have thought that when humans are involved there would be many more ethical barriers. I'm not sure I'd be too keen on carrying a Neanderthal foetus personally, as who knows what the medical complications could turn out to be.

Ziphius

Public acceptance of human cloning will be needed first. And I see this lagging far behind any technological refinements needed to perfect and make everyday the process.

Adam Khor

Scarinae wrote: »

A genetics professor from Harvard has said it would be possible to clone a Neanderthal baby from ancient DNA if he could find a woman willing to act as a surrogate.



Do you think this will ever actually happen? Whatever about cloning sheep or mammoths, I would have thought that when humans are involved there would be many more ethical barriers. I'm not sure I'd be too keen on carrying a Neanderthal foetus personally, as who knows what the medical complications could turn out to be.

This is crazy news I didn´t know there was already enough DNA to clone one. I thought we would have to wait until they found a frozen body!

I doubt this will ever happen, what with the ethical problems regarding Homo sapiens cloning, but... wouldn´t it be fascinating? :cool:

Capt'n Midnight

There were women who wanted to have the ice-man's baby so yeah they'll get someone.


Remember the Endemol Kidney transplant show ?

The makers of the Dutch De Grote Donorshow (The Big Donor Show) promised a one-off programme in which a terminally ill woman would chose which of three contestants would receive her kidneys when she died.

OK it was a hoax, but the foot is in the door and stuff like this has long been a staple of SciFi



I could imagine MTV doing a show on this , possibly even as a competition !


So funding isn't a problem

Galvasean

I look forward to MTV's My Big Neanderthal Baby show...

Adam Khor

Apparently this is just another case of the press getting things wrong and saying them worse:

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/no-harvard-geneticist-not-trying-clone-neanderthal-baby-213859546.html