While debate on germline gene therapy is still going on worldwide, geneticists have gone ahead. Prof. Joe Cummins and Dr. Mae-Wan Ho report on how scientists have sidestepped regulators and created the first GM human beings, despite fierce public opposition.

"Researchers have announced "the first case of human germline genetic modification resulting in normal healthy children." Specifically, the researchers transplanted ooplasm from donor eggs into the eggs of women whose infertility was due to ooplasmic defects. One side effect of those transplants was the transfer of mitochondria, introducing new mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) into the eggs. This news should gladden all who welcome new children into the world. And it should trouble those committed to transparent public conversation about the prospect of using "reprogenetic" technologies to shape future children." So began an editorial in the April 20 issue of Science magazine [1].....

Please Read :
http://www.rense.com/general10/gmhum.htm

It's not April 1st?? I don't believe it, and if it's true, God help us all.

This kind of oogs me out - Can someone remind me WHY we need to pursue this? Arn't there enough humans on earth already?

What is described in the article is not GM Human: an organism development and ontogenesis are due above all to the nuclear DNA, which has not been modified in the quoted experiment. The mithocondrial DNA (mtDNA) is the DNA present in cellular organels: it's very limited and contains information to produce only the enzymes used in the mithocondria to produce energy for cellular metabolism.
European Union laws and other international agreements prohibit genetic modifications of human germline.

What is described in the article is not GM Human: an organism development and ontogenesis are due above all to the nuclear DNA, which has not been modified in the quoted experiment. The mithocondrial DNA (mtDNA) is the DNA present in cellular organels: it's very limited and contains information to produce only the enzymes used in the mithocondria to produce energy for cellular metabolism.
European Union laws and other international agreements prohibit genetic modifications of human germline.

Anyone with better Italian than me, please translate into English!! :)

Anyone with better Italian than me, please translate into English!! :)

:( Mmmmm... I apologize if I were not able to explain myself in an understandable way... As you have surely noticed, English is not my mothertongue :o However, I would gladly cast light on your doubts if you will share them with me :D

:( Mmmmm... I apologize if I were not able to explain myself in an understandable way... As you have surely noticed, English is not my mothertongue :o However, I would gladly cast light on your doubts if you will share them with me :D

Apologies ***Stef*** - Your English is perfect (my warped British sense of humour was the reason for the comment, not your English) - It's the scientific explanation I don't understand. I can just about accept IVF, but what is the real difference between altering the DNA/enzymes of a sperm or an egg and straight forward cloning, and where is it all heading? What is the ultimate scientific/medical goal?

Apologies ***Stef*** - Your English is perfect (my warped British sense of humour was the reason for the comment, not your English) - It's the scientific explanation I don't understand. I can just about accept IVF, but what is the real difference between altering the DNA/enzymes of a sperm or an egg and straight forward cloning, and where is it all heading? What is the ultimate scientific/medical goal?

Cloning means taking the entire genome (all DNA) of an individual and using it to create a new human being, without conception (in other words, without "mixing" the parents' DNAs). The result is a person who is genetically identical to the original one (but, of course, he/she has his own thoughts and ideas; it's like twins).
Regarding the experiment mentioned above, I must anticipate that humans have two kinds of DNA: the first - nuclear DNA - is derived by "mixing" parents' DNAs; it's present in great quantity and determines the individual identity; the second - mithocondrial DNA or mtDNA - is inherited from our mothers only, it's very small and contains information related to the energy production only (it's like an engine: cars may have the same engine, but each one may be very different from one other). Sometimes the mtDNA contains errors (mutations) which lead to deseases; scientists try to resolve the problem by substituting the biological mother's egg mutated mtDNA with the one from a donor. In this way the embryo will have the nuclear DNA inaltered (as in the natural conception) and the mtDNA given by a third (female) person. Someone said these children will have three parents (and in a certain way it is partially true), but they surely share the most of their DNA with their natural parents (in IVF, instead, very often entire DNA from an external donor is used; in this way only one person in the couple is actually a biological parent, while the other biological parent is the donor). As you can see, the final goal is avoiding genetic deseases in the newborns, who however are still biological sons or daughters of the unfortunate couple affected by the patology.

***Stef*** Thank you very much for taking the time to reply and explain - I now understand much more than I had before. I am still not comfortable with the necessity for it, nor the process itself, but that is just my own view. I am grateful, however, for your help in further understanding the science behind it.

If I could be useful to you somehow, it has been my pleasure! :D
Like you, I don't feel very comfortable with it; I don't have babies at the moment and I do not plan to have in the short term, but when the moment will come, if I should discover to bring mutations in my genes potentially harmful to my child, I think I would consider all the available options to avoid such suffering...
Well, thank you for the opportunity of this conversation, it has been very appealing! :)

Waw Stef ... grazie di averlo spiegato !

Ohh finally...
So if someone need a liver or an heart can do it...
we can to trapiant without live others organs...
yuyuyuyuy