# What animal-human hybrids should be prohibited? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [February 1, 2006, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-animal-human-hybrids-should-be-prohibited/342557 "2006-02-01T19:51:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jeeves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/73ab20/32.png) [@Jeeves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeeves)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2006, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-animal-human-hybrids-should-be-prohibited/342557/1 "2006-02-01T19:51:27Z")
And, what was that in reference to in the SOTU speech by the president? I am not aware of any controversy over animal human hybrids. The only AHHs that could fit remotely are bacteria modified with human genetic information to produce medicine, such as insulin producing bacteria. The questions for debate are: When should this type of manipulation be prohibited? In other words, how much human genetic information before you have an AHH. And, are we in any position for this to become an issue? Mods, I believe this is GD material, but I apologize if you wish to move it. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2006, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-animal-human-hybrids-should-be-prohibited/342557/2 "2006-02-01T19:56:46Z")
Maybe the president wants to outlaw Furries. ---
**Author:** ![Malodorous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e47774/32.png) [@Malodorous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malodorous)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2006, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-animal-human-hybrids-should-be-prohibited/342557/3 "2006-02-01T20:04:42Z")
**PsychoPirate** posted this [link](http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/01/0125_050125_chimeras.html) in the SOTU thread as an example of the kinds of AHH he/she finds worrysome. While mice with human brains are a bit troubling, I imagine that for every researcher trying to make a supersmart mouse there’s a few hundred trying to get bacteria to produce medical proteins, or trying to reproduce a specific disease in pigs so they may be studied. Politically I don’t think a ban on this sort of thing will fly either. Americans may be somewhat wishywashy about pure science, but they are very pro technology and especially medical science. It will be easy to paint any ban on combining human and animal genes as a threat to our technological dominence (rightfully so IMHO) and the public will reject it. ---
**Author:** ![MacTech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MacTech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacTech)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2006, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-animal-human-hybrids-should-be-prohibited/342557/4 "2006-02-01T20:25:19Z")
> [@Malodorous](#): > > **PsychoPirate** posted this [link](http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/01/0125_050125_chimeras.html) in the SOTU thread as an example of the kinds of AHH he/she finds worrysome. > > While mice with human brains are a bit troubling, I imagine that for every researcher trying to make a supersmart mouse there’s a few hundred trying to get bacteria to produce medical proteins, or trying to reproduce a specific disease in pigs so they may be studied. Are you pondering what i’m pondering? (sorry, couldn’t resist…) ---
**Author:** ![Ponder\_Stibbons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponder_stibbons/32/343_2.png) [@Ponder\_Stibbons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponder_Stibbons)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2006, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-animal-human-hybrids-should-be-prohibited/342557/5 "2006-02-01T20:27:53Z")
> [@MacTech](#): > > Are you pondering what i’m pondering? > > (sorry, couldn’t resist…) What, you’re thinking a nice BLT would really hit the spot right about now, also? ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2006, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-animal-human-hybrids-should-be-prohibited/342557/6 "2006-02-01T20:32:35Z")
A human-horse hybrid would have certain . . . commercial possibilities . . . 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Malodorous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e47774/32.png) [@Malodorous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malodorous)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2006, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-animal-human-hybrids-should-be-prohibited/342557/7 "2006-02-01T20:36:06Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > A human-horse hybrid would have certain . . . commercial possibilities . . . 😃 I’m gonna take a wild guess and say the religious right might not approve. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2006, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-animal-human-hybrids-should-be-prohibited/342557/8 "2006-02-01T20:42:48Z")
> [@Malodorous](#): > > I’m gonna take a wild guess and say the religious right might not approve. Which does not mean some of them wouldn’t buy. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2006, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-animal-human-hybrids-should-be-prohibited/342557/9 "2006-02-01T20:55:07Z")
Why should you never take only one Baptist to visit your horse/human hybrid? –Cliffy ---
**Author:** ![yanceylebeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yanceylebeef/32/12290_2.png) [@yanceylebeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yanceylebeef)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2006, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-animal-human-hybrids-should-be-prohibited/342557/10 "2006-02-01T21:08:14Z")
I’d say human/chimp hybrids are right out. The one we have now has been a big disapointment. ---
**Author:** ![6\_6\_6](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/6/e0b2c6/32.png) [@6\_6\_6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/6_6_6)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2006, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-animal-human-hybrids-should-be-prohibited/342557/11 "2006-02-01T21:11:32Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > A human-horse hybrid would have certain . . . commercial possibilities . . . 😃 Something like a Centaur, you mean? ---
**Author:** ![Tevildo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Tevildo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tevildo)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2006, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-animal-human-hybrids-should-be-prohibited/342557/12 "2006-02-01T22:38:12Z")
On a more serious note… It’s been established for a long time that DNA sequences and other products of genetic engineering can be patented, and patent rights are a form of property. There would be _very_ serious legal issues involved if a creature with substantially human characteristics was brought into existence, but was still the subject of patent law. Would it be the property of the laboratory - if so, would it legally be a slave? Would it be subject to any sort of constitutional protection or human rights legislation? If so, what’s the maximum amount of human genetic material a hybrid can have before it’s legally human? If such a limit is set, should a Dr Moreau be allowed to create “beast-folk” that were of near-human intelligence but still legally “animals”, provided he kept the human DNA percentage below the maximum? Would it be legitimate, rather than creating a mouse with a human brain, to create a human with a mouse’s brain, or only the minimum amount of brain to keep it alive, and use it for transplant surgery? And, yes, I’m sure the legal definition of “bestiality” would need to be looked at, as well. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![alaricthegoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4bbf92/32.png) [@alaricthegoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alaricthegoth)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2006, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-animal-human-hybrids-should-be-prohibited/342557/13 "2006-02-02T00:04:45Z")
Paging Dr. Moreau…Dr. Moreau, pick up line 3… ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2006, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-animal-human-hybrids-should-be-prohibited/342557/14 "2006-02-02T00:22:08Z")
> [@Tevildo](#): > > Would it be legitimate, rather than creating a mouse with a human brain, to create a human with a mouse’s brain, or only the minimum amount of brain to keep it alive, and use it for transplant surgery? I certainly hope so! ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2006, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-animal-human-hybrids-should-be-prohibited/342557/15 "2006-02-02T00:54:34Z")
> [@6 6 6](#): > > Something like a Centaur, you mean? Your speculation is slightly \ “off-centaur”. Thank you, thank you, I’ll be here all week. ---
**Author:** ![yanceylebeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yanceylebeef/32/12290_2.png) [@yanceylebeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yanceylebeef)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2006, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-animal-human-hybrids-should-be-prohibited/342557/16 "2006-02-02T01:00:00Z")
Great, now I’ve got 2% milk all over my monitor. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2006, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-animal-human-hybrids-should-be-prohibited/342557/17 "2006-02-02T01:04:37Z")
Omaha. Those who know will understand. ---
**Author:** ![alaricthegoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4bbf92/32.png) [@alaricthegoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alaricthegoth)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2006, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-animal-human-hybrids-should-be-prohibited/342557/18 "2006-02-02T01:11:19Z")
_a human with a mouse’s brain_ done that already. Made him president. ---
**Author:** ![Tevildo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Tevildo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tevildo)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2006, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-animal-human-hybrids-should-be-prohibited/342557/19 "2006-02-02T01:28:44Z")
Hmph. 🙂 If we’re not going to be serious, then perhaps we should be in IMHO. **Bosda Di’Chi of Tricor** , I’ll raise you Chester if we want to make _serious_ money out of it. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2006, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-animal-human-hybrids-should-be-prohibited/342557/20 "2006-02-02T02:19:35Z")
> [@Malodorous](#): > > While mice with human brains are a bit troubling The best-laid plans of mice… [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-animal-human-hybrids-should-be-prohibited/342557.md?page=2)