Daily Mail
What could go wrong?
He said his analysis of Neanderthal genetic code using samples from bones is complete enough to reconstruct their DNA.
He said: ‘Now I need an adventurous female human.
‘It depends on a hell of a lot of things, but I think it can be done.’
Blowback
Note from Hot Air management: This section is for comments from Hot Air's community of registered readers. Please don't assume that Hot Air management agrees with or otherwise endorses any particular comment just because we let it stand. A reminder: Anyone who fails to comply with our terms of use may lose their posting privilege.
Trackbacks/Pings
Trackback URL
Comments
A long list of ethical concerns went through my head as I read that article.
jediwebdude on January 20, 2013 at 11:11 PM
I find the idea of carrying someone elses baby inside of you for 9 months to be really weird. Carrying another species…
HidetheDecline on January 20, 2013 at 11:18 PM
Woohoo! another group for Dems to pander to. Reprint the forms! We need a another box to check on the all of the forms!
trubble on January 20, 2013 at 11:22 PM
Is this supposed to be progress?
Schadenfreude on January 20, 2013 at 11:22 PM
Well, that shouldn’t be a problem!
OldEnglish on January 20, 2013 at 11:27 PM
“your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should”
theperfecteconomist on January 20, 2013 at 11:30 PM
We have Helen Thomas, already. How many more brutish throwbacks do we need?
Warner Todd Huston on January 20, 2013 at 11:34 PM
Well, Warner Todd Huston, your idea would solve HidetheDecline’s dilemma.
http://thepeoplescube.com/red/gallery/our-greatest-hits-a2/helen-thomas-formaldehyde-m-p1880.html
davidk on January 20, 2013 at 11:46 PM
Did he say that it was so easy a caveman could do it?
James on January 20, 2013 at 11:48 PM
Well played, sir. Well played!
St Gaudens on January 20, 2013 at 11:49 PM
Why bother?
There’s plenty of Nearderthal DNA floating around parts of Europe.
Ben Hur on January 20, 2013 at 11:55 PM
Why would you ever want to do that? Obviously it can be done, because we have the technology. But we don’t need to be going around resurrecting extinct hominid species who may or may not be sentient and thus deserving (or not) of a whole new consideration of moral/legal obligations and rules.
ZachV on January 20, 2013 at 11:57 PM
What if we contaminate the gene pool?
sharrukin on January 21, 2013 at 12:04 AM
Mooch would be perfect. Same gene pool. Same features.
katy on January 21, 2013 at 12:12 AM
Whew! And to think I was worried about some soulless, atheistic scientist going all ‘Dr. Mengele’ with this newfangled genetics knowledge.
Knott Buyinit on January 21, 2013 at 12:12 AM
Is the good professor going to take full responsibility for raising the “child” he creates? Does that include paying the medical bills to deal with all the “failures”? Keep in mind cloning has an extremely low yield just to get offspring that appear “normal”. Dozens of genetically malformed “sheep” were produced before Dolly was unveiled to the public (not to mention the uncounted number that never made it to birth). What’s to be done with the near-homo-sapien “rejects”?
taznar on January 21, 2013 at 12:19 AM
Register them as Democrats and bus them all in on election day like the rest of them.
katy on January 21, 2013 at 12:22 AM
I’m intrigued by this idea, and I don’t hate it, until I think to myself what would become of the Neanderthal baby after it’s born? Would it be kept in captivity, as a scientific exhibit? Would it be considered “Less than Human?” It seems like it would be roughly as intelligent as a human, and would just be very ugly more than anything else. I suppose the worst case scenario is that it “almost” works, and that what results is a barely functional, heavily deformed human. Some big ethical questions here. I’d rather there be a proof of concept first, by using mammoth DNA or something in a surrogate elephant, or some other thing. Once it’s proven that it works, I’d have fewer (although still some) ethical concerns.
vegconservative on January 21, 2013 at 12:23 AM
I nominate Sandra Fluke. Isn’t it time for her to settle down from all the serious work and squeeze out a few?
somewhatconcerned on January 21, 2013 at 12:25 AM
World War II called. They want their psychopathic doctor back.
pedestrian on January 21, 2013 at 12:30 AM
Crazy stuff, playing with pandemic fire.
Dr. Species-cide, your padded cell is calling.
profitsbeard on January 21, 2013 at 1:08 AM
Maybe we can find out all over again why Homo Sapiens and Neanderthal could not occupy the same planet amicably. Wouldn’t that be interesting.
theCork on January 21, 2013 at 1:36 AM
Pretty sure I saw this episode of Fringe.
TexasDan on January 21, 2013 at 1:37 AM
What the liberal Harvard professor doesn’t say is how the study is funded by the Democrat party to bring back the REALLY dead voters.
moo on January 21, 2013 at 6:28 AM
I think that’s the best case scenario. His “genetic code using samples from bones is complete enough” to produce something, but it doesn’t take much to produce horribly mentally and physically disabled people.
That’s putting it mildly.
Fenris on January 21, 2013 at 7:03 AM
Alex Ovechkin comes to mind.
I just did a Google search for “alex ovechkin neanderthal” – 12,900 results, first one is “Is it just me or does Alexander Ovechkin look like a neandrethal?”, and I see there’s a Facebook page, “Alexander Ovechkin looks like a retarded Neanderthal.” lol
Anti-Control on January 21, 2013 at 7:08 AM
I’d almost rather share the planet with them than what the human race has given us so far.
But I kid. This is a horrible idea. It’s as horrible as trying to bring a dinosaur, or even an extinct mammal back to life.
Things become extinct for a reason.
They weren’t fit enough to survive conditions the environment wrought upon them.
Someday that will more than likely happen to us as well.
Badger40 on January 21, 2013 at 7:11 AM
Extinct for a reason, professor… why can’t you grasp that?
ExpressoBold on January 21, 2013 at 7:17 AM
.
My eyes! My Eyes !!!!!!
ExpressoBold on January 21, 2013 at 7:20 AM
If she had a Neanderthal baby, it would look just like…
Rational Thought on January 21, 2013 at 7:51 AM
Same thing all the rest of us Neanderthals need. Get in line.
MikeA on January 21, 2013 at 7:57 AM
Then: The weak fell to extinction, the strong adapted and flourished.
Now: The weak are propped up by government, the strong are vilified and destroyed by government.
Nature works best uninterrupted.
fogw on January 21, 2013 at 8:02 AM
Heh! (Not just Neanderthals……)
GWB on January 21, 2013 at 8:46 AM
The mother could get full sponsorship from any of the better rugby teams, I imagine.
michaelo on January 21, 2013 at 9:09 AM
Does she get a right to abort it if she wants to?
nobar on January 21, 2013 at 9:42 AM
No, you don’t understand, neanderthals are like people, not bison.
Tc0061 on January 21, 2013 at 9:52 AM
Basic premise of both study and article is flawed. Neanderthals were humans.
S.P. Link on January 21, 2013 at 10:07 AM