Men are now obsolete...

[Duke Malcolm]

Scientists from Newcastle University have made an embryo from two mothers...

Auntie Provides :

Embryo with two mothers approved

The aim is to get healthy offspring free of inherited genetic disorders
UK scientists have won permission to create a human embryo that will have genetic material from two mothers.

The Newcastle University team will transfer material created when an egg and sperm fuse into an unfertilized egg from another woman.

The groundbreaking work aims to prevent mothers from passing certain genetic diseases on to their unborn babies.

Such diseases arise from DNA found outside the nucleus, and thus inherited separately from DNA in the nucleus.

Mitochondrial diseases

They are collectively called mitochondrial diseases.

Mitochondria are small complex structures, which exist in every cell of the body, except red blood cells. They are the 'powerhouse' of the cell, producing most of the energy that we need to grow and live.

Those organs in the body that require a lot of energy to work properly, such as the brain, heart and kidney, are particularly dependent on well functioning mitochondria.

One unique feature of mitochondria is that they have their own DNA - mitochondrial DNA, which is inherited from the mother only.

If this DNA is faulty, the mitochondrial diseases occur. At present, no treatment for mitochondrial diseases exists.

Studies in mice show it is possible to prevent the transmission of mitochondrial disease by moving the pronuclei - the genetic material which will go on to form a nucleus - from a fertilised egg containing bad mitochondria and putting it into another unfertilised egg which only contains good mitochondria.

Professor Doug Turnbull, professor of neurology at Newcastle University, and Dr Mary Herbert, scientific director of Newcastle Fertility Centre at the city's Centre for Life, now plan to do the same in humans.

US scientists at the Institute for Reproductive Medicine and Science of St Barnabas, New Jersey, reported back in 2001 that they had successfully done similar, giving rise to 15 healthy children who appeared to be free of their mothers' disease.

Safety check

Instead of transplanting the pronuclei, these researchers injected another woman's ooplasm - the substance inside the cell that contains the mitochondrial DNA and bathes the nucleus - into the egg cell of the mother with faulty mitochondrial DNA.

The innovative approach being tested may lead to a treatment for mitochondrial myopathies

Dr David Harrison of the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign

The UK research, permitted by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority and funded by the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign, will check that transplanting the pro-nuclei works and is safe.

The resulting egg would never be allowed to develop into a baby.

But even if it did, the offspring would still resemble their mother and father because the mitochondrial DNA do not dictate things like hair colour.

About one in 5,000 children and adults are at risk of developing a mitochondrial disease.

The HFEA does not have any regard for public consultation and the views of the public

Josephine Quintavalle from Comment on Reproductive Ethics

The group of conditions Professor Turnbull's team will look at is called mitochondrial myopathy.

These cause muscle weakness and wasting, making it difficult for those who have it to move normally - some may need to use a wheelchair.

The Muscular Dystrophy Campaign said it was delighted that the HFEA had given approval for the research project.

Head of research Dr David Harrison said: "The innovative approach being tested by Professor Turnbull may lead to a treatment for mitochondrial myopathies, a group of conditions that dramatically affect quality and length of life."

The public are currently being consulted about their opinions on laws governing embryo research such as this.

Some believe it is dangerous and unethical to do human cloning work.

Josephine Quintavalle from Comment on Reproductive Ethics said: "This shows once again that the HFEA does not have any regard for public consultation and the views of the public."

[Kagemusha]

My greatest fear have become reality.this is the end of our gender.

[Marcellus]

The Newcastle University team will transfer material created when an egg and sperm fuse

Now I'm pretty sure that a man is still required for this bit.

[Big King Sanctaphrax]

The Newcastle University team will transfer material created when an egg and sperm fuse into an unfertilized egg from another woman.

Need a man for sperm...

Edit: Gah, Marcellus beat me to it.

[BDC]

Yes, so any child will have two mothers and a father.

And people still get worked up about it... It cleans up mitochondrial diseases, doesn't effect the genetic make up of the person beyond the mitochondria, yet it's still called unethical...

[English assassin]

I resigned myself to the fact that my mitochondrial DNA was going to die with me a long time ago. Biology A level to be exact.

Anyway, who is going to get the spiders out of the bath without men, eh?

[yesdachi]

Anyway, who is going to get the spiders out of the bath without men, eh?

I was thinking something along the same lines. Parallel parking, taking out the trash, checking to see what caused scary noise in middle of the night, etc.

[Rodion Romanovich]

I wonder if it was a man who developed that technique... He must be very, very clever... I wonder if you can trust the functionality of a technique developed by a person that clever...

Besides, about that mitochondrial stuff - you get most of the mitochondria from the mother's side so I don't see how it would be the men's fault that there are mitochondrial diseases.

However, there are claims that the Y chromosome is inbred, but that's an entirely different thing, and might be a result of the fact that it's always men going to war, and the few remaining cowardly and/or clever and unfit had to take care of the task of making the women pregnant. War spares not the brave but the cowardly...

[LeftEyeNine]

That was succeeded or not but there is a general idea that the citylife and civilization abraded the manly characteristics and the evolution (in fact adoptation will lead to evolution) will bring the end of the masculine gender, they say.

The advise was : Go and yell out your anger watching a football match. Spend some adrenaline.

YEAH ! BURY THAT ANELKA, BURY THAT ! WE RELY ON YOU ! LITERALLY !..

[Sjakihata]

When they become tired of small (or large) plastic objects, they'll come beggin'

[Rodion Romanovich]

When they become tired of small (or large) plastic objects, they'll come beggin'

...or when they want to find out how to repeat what those male scientists did.

Seriously, as long as civilization remains, the women have no need for men. They don't need anyone to hug them warm, they don't need anyone to hunt for them when they're pregnant, they don't need anyone to scare the rats and mice away.

And a species made to naturally reproduce through sex between a male and a female can't last long with only females - just think of when the energy/oil/pollution/material shortages etc. reach levels where it's impossible to carry out that in vitro stuff. What species would be stupid enough to rely on such a fragile system for reproduction? Humans of course, no others. And the new evolution would be based not on the survivability of the individual, but on which woman produces eggs that can best handle this in vitro stuff. Finally, the combination of the two that are going to have in vitro sex will no longer be based on love, the instincts for getting the best partner matchup, and therefore there's no control that this won't create inbred offsprings not fit to survive after either the first, second or maybe tenth generation. Finally, it's unlikely that the entire world will start removing men. More likely, small groups will keep reproducing normally, and guess what they'll do with the women tired of plastic toys?

[Zharakov]

I like the idea of 2 wives and one husband...

[Rodion Romanovich]

I like the idea of 2 wives and one husband...

Sch... How about we start a secret society? Our tasks will be simple. For the record, this discussion never existed Now, let's make the necessary deals - how about I get Europe and you get Asia? Not 2 wives and one husband - 50 million wives and one husband

[Zharakov]

Women would not get rid of men... We are too much fun...

Who ells would get drunk with them and take them to parties?

[Del Arroyo]

If there were no men women would have to get alot more manlike or economic productivity would plummet. Currently only a portion of women in the workplace are actually competent to do their jobs well, the rest are just coasting on their ovaries...

DA

[Don Corleone]

I like the idea of 2 wives and one husband...

You are clearly not married, my friend. Twice the henpecking, twice the orders, twice the trouble to get into, twice the damage when you tick one of the 2 off (cause they'll always gang up against you!) I don't know how the muslim men do it...

[Kaiser of Arabia]

I didn't think this would come, time for a purge of all scientists such as this, they are furthering the destruction of the human race and are aiding to spread the evil of Godplaying. I cannot beleive we have degraded our society this far.

[Lazul]

A world with no males, now thats just Gay-Thinking!

[Reverend Joe]

I like the idea of 2 wives and one husband...

Two wives? I don't think so. Two girlfriends, now... and if one starts getting too wifey, dump her and get a fresh one.

[AntiochusIII]

A world with no males, now thats just Gay-Thinking!

Err..no. It's Lesbian-Thinking!

Gays will be EXTREMELY distressed in a world without the male!

[ICantSpellDawg]

This could also be the death of the female gender. If we learn how to harvest eggs in a lab from other eggs and proceed to incubate them in an artificial womb, there will be no need for a continuation of the females of the species either. Since men have traditionally been much more powerful, they could easily be the ones who decide which gender becomes obsolete. I am not saying that anyone would actually push for gender obsolesence, but I am saying that the ball, as always, will most likely be in the mans' court.

No need to fear the feminist agenda. Women have been kept down while in the majority for millenia; do you think that when they threaten males with extinction there will be many problems in turning the barrel of the gun around?

I say that we pursue the base concepts of equality that progressives have been pushing for hundreds of years. The extinction game is a loosing one for everyone, especially for those who have, until recently, been a subjugated class of people who are still breaking free from their last chains.

[Byzantine Prince]

Man is something to be overcome.

*BP is thrilled with the idea of adding irrelevent Nietzsche quote into the discussion*

[Soulforged]

I see that hopefully we're continuing to grow and evolve, even when some conservative stands in the way.

[Productivity]

You are clearly not married, my friend. Twice the henpecking, twice the orders, twice the trouble to get into, twice the damage when you tick one of the 2 off (cause they'll always gang up against you!) I don't know how the muslim men do it...

And that's just the sum of the two - wait till you see what happens when they start plotting together.

[bmolsson]

Men will never be obsolete. Womens needs somebody to slap them around. It's all about biology.......

[Lazul]

Err..no. It's Lesbian-Thinking!

Gays will be EXTREMELY distressed in a world without the male!

dude, Gay includes both male and female.