What is Digg?211 Comments
- Impossis, on 12/19/2008, -4/+102so do they get a refund of 50 years down the road the child gets cancer after all?
- nem0, on 12/19/2008, -2/+96Gattaca
- OneOfNone, on 12/19/2008, -1/+62Misleading title and summary. Selected != Designed (because embryos were not manipulated).
And the embryos are not "free" of BRCA1 gene - they have two copies of a normal, "non-cancer prone" BRCA1 variant. - temsi, on 12/19/2008, -3/+55Inaccurate headline. Being free of the breast cancer gene is not the same as cancer free.
That being said, this seems cool, but do we know if the absence of this gene can cause any side effects? - CoreyHalliwell, on 12/19/2008, -2/+41I wish my mom could have chosen the egg that came with the genes for a normal sized penis :(
- djphatjive, on 12/19/2008, -0/+33I am sure this baby won't mind that she can't get breast cancer.
- scy1192, on 12/19/2008, -0/+29So they genetically engineered their babies by picking out an embryo without a cancer-causing gene? I guess we can genetically engineer our fruit by picking only the roundest and shiniest apples.
- Kronich, on 12/19/2008, -12/+42\incredible advance but should we be scared? designer babies here we come!
- aagee, on 12/19/2008, -0/+28Misleading.
Selecting an embryo with certain attributes is NOT "design". They did not tinker with the genes (as the headline would have you believe) but rather just screened them. - charlief, on 12/19/2008, -13/+39Genetix - We Play God... So You Don't Have To!
- AaronCo, on 12/19/2008, -2/+27RTFA...
They fertilized several embryos, used a dye to look for a genetic defect, and implanted the one that was defect free. They did this to stop the spread of breast cancer in their family, which had taken the lives of numerous women. Without this gene that child won't be able to spread it to their kids, essentially removing it from their part of the gene pool.
They didn't "design" anything. They just made nature's selection a little stricter.
Moral dogma aside, whether you like it or not this is going to continue. If we have to make a choice between an unformed glob of cellular goo, or a formed and living human being with a family that won't get breast cancer and won't pass it to his/her kids, let's face it... the fully formed human being is going to win. It's only a matter of time until people redefine "when life starts" to make these kind of decisions easier.
I personally don't have a problem with it. If it means we can end a huge chunk of birth defects before they even begin, I say we do it. - Ne007, on 12/19/2008, -3/+28That REMINDS ME!
The craziest thing happened the other night as I was jacking off! Pro-lifers busted into my bedroom right after I spooged on a rag. They shouted and screamed, "save the babies!" as they grabbed my rag and took off out the window...one lady was crying "they are dying! they are dying!"
Not that was strange.... - Mercyme2, on 12/19/2008, -0/+22you just know it's gonna be a boy.
- felidaeus, on 12/19/2008, -0/+21Don't worry, I'm sure there is some superior human out there willing to pee in a bottle for you.
- kdepa, on 12/19/2008, -1/+19Still doesn't necessarily mean that the person will end up without breast cancer - simply being born without the mutation isn't a panacea...
- angelgabe, on 12/19/2008, -0/+17Rich people are often accused of thinking they're better than us, now they will be.
- Hrodrik, on 12/19/2008, -3/+18Goodbye natural selection.
Goodbye... - CoreyHalliwell, on 12/19/2008, -3/+17You missed the joke... Your mom should have chosen a hobby other than drinking while she was pregnant with you.
- hokie47, on 12/19/2008, -0/+13That's what I told my 5 kids that we're doing. Only the top two 2 get to live past 16. Man you should see how well they do chores around the house. Nothing like a real fear of death keeps a kids room clean.
- FatDouglas, on 12/19/2008, -1/+14Can't believe "pro life" people protest this stuff.
I mean no matter what anyone does obviously there is going to be some group some where that says its wrong and protests.
but this is pretty awesome - Khast, on 12/19/2008, -0/+11I'd like a child with the Superman gene!
- ubershmekel, on 12/19/2008, -0/+12\you mean I could literally order the Gucci baby collection?
- ubershmekel, on 12/19/2008, -6/+17***** you, 2 of my friends died playing god.
- kds405, on 12/19/2008, -1/+11They only destroyed cells...not children.
- inactive, on 12/19/2008, -0/+10Er, no you don't, since I presume that life with a small one is better than not being born at all.
Remember, you can still get a Corvette. - inactive, on 12/19/2008, -6/+16Humans stopped having natural selection the minute we dressed our first wound.
- SeaICIubber, on 12/19/2008, -1/+10In-valid
- DeucesWild, on 12/19/2008, -0/+9You want to know how I did it? This is how I did it, Anton: I never saved anything for the swim back.
- L0NER, on 12/19/2008, -4/+13Digg cures cancer again!
- kds405, on 12/19/2008, -2/+11Yeah ...suffering babies are really funny.
- BurningPyro07, on 12/19/2008, -0/+9No.. it's more along the lines of artificial selection.
- ZippyV, on 12/19/2008, -0/+8This is nothing new and it happens all the time with IVF. They always "select" the best embryo from the group.
- CalgaryJohn, on 12/19/2008, -1/+9Virus? Do you mean 'cancer'? Because last time i checked, breast cancer (along with MOST other cancers) was caused by rapid cell mutation, not any sort of virus. Other than HPV leading to cervical cancer, I can't think of any cancers caused by virii. (But I'm no cancer guru, thats for sure).
- RonADiSH, on 12/19/2008, -2/+10why are everyone gets so scared of 'designer' babies?
whats so wrong about that? - Hrodrik, on 12/19/2008, -1/+8Not really. That was natural selection. We dressed wounds, we survived. The behaviour or our ability to behave like that was selected to continue. But eliminating selected genes from a population will lower the genetic diversity, making us more prone to succumb to environmental changes.
Who knows if those genes could be protecting some of their offspring from some sort of disease in 200 years, after random mutations? - Ne007, on 12/19/2008, -1/+8Yeh...the absence of the breast cancer gene automatically sets them up for the anal cancer gene of course.
- noen, on 12/19/2008, -1/+7It's the Daily Mail, you're surprised?
- ubershmekel, on 12/19/2008, -4/+10That's what she said...
- Thuktun, on 12/19/2008, -0/+6They didn't manipulate any genetics, they merely tested each embryo for a specific mutation to a certain gene.
- CrimsonFlash, on 12/19/2008, -0/+5Always ends up biting them in the ass.
- ryan83189, on 12/19/2008, -0/+5It still exists, the idea of genetic engineering is just to prevent it from happening to the offspring.
- scy1192, on 12/19/2008, -3/+8obesity is more of a lifestyle issue than a genetic issue
- judicar, on 12/19/2008, -0/+5There's was no genetic modification or *design*, they simply implanted an egg that did not have the gene. They didn't modify anything.
But I guess the term "inaccurate" is a bit redundant with respect to the dailymail. - SteelM, on 12/19/2008, -0/+5Our ford will save us from this brave new world
- Devine122, on 12/20/2008, -0/+5"lolx"
Laughter genetically designed to be multiple times more "out loud" than normal laughter. - lukas88, on 12/19/2008, -2/+7Just an FYI, you can watch it on hulu.com now
- Icetype, on 12/19/2008, -0/+5You or your spouse would have to have the gene already. Sorry.
- CoreyHalliwell, on 12/19/2008, -0/+5i have those on auto-digg right now... i think its a habit...
- SpeedSteamBoat, on 12/19/2008, -0/+4@r3bol: No, the designer beings will be intelligent enough to find a way off this planet before it becomes to crowded. They will also be smart enough not to have so many damn kids.
- StupotAce, on 12/19/2008, -2/+6I love the argument that people make saying this is wrong by not giving certain embryos a chance. News flash....only one baby is going to be born. What does it matter if the parents have some of the say as to which embryo will turn into a baby? I can see where Pro-Life people have their argument against abortion, but it doesn't make sense here.
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