Lead 1:
Jill is a current patient at the hospital. She turns on the television, hoping to distract her mind from thoughts about dying. Jill's heart is weak and can no longer support her body. Currently, she is on a waiting list for a new one. The list for requested organs is long though, and she fears that a heart will never make it in time to save her life. Many patients, like Jill, need transplanted organs in order to continue living. However, almost all of them are put on a waiting list because there are not enough donor organs for everyone. They are in very short supply. Luckily, new developments in science may have found a way to rectify this problem. Human-animal hybridization is a relatively new scientific study, where scientists' goal is to grow human organs in animals. These grown organs could shorten the patient waiting list; therefore saving many lives that without this new research, may have died. The scientists that are studying human-animal hybridization are also hoping that their research will lead to cures for certain diseases. Though this research could save many lives in the future, some government officials believe that the research should be made illegal. Making human-animal hybridization illegal would not only stop advances in science, but it could also cause many deaths that could have been avoided otherwise.
Lead 2:
The word "chimera" has been used for centuries, relating all the way back to Greek mythology. A chimera is defined as something living, that possesses two different animal tissues. Though many people believe this to be only evident in Greek mythology, the fact is that many chimeras walk among the earth at this moment. They do not appear as monsters, nor are they different body-wise than any other human. People today have transplanted pig heart valves that they need in order to survive. They are referred to as chimeras. Scientists are currently trying to expand their research to include transplanted organs from animals, and possibly discovering cures for diseases. However, many government officials and citizens feel that this human-animal hybridization research is immoral, and therefore they want to pass a law making it illegal. A law being passed making the creation of chimeras illegal, would create a dent in science and medical development.
Lead 3:
Human-animal hybridization is a field of science where scientists implant human cells into animals in order to create a chimera, which is a living organism with two different types of animal tissues. Their hopes, is that they will be able to grow human organs in animals like pigs, and donate those organs to patients that are in need of them. Scientists also believe that their research could lead to possible cures in certain diseases, like AIDS. Government officials, however, see this advancement in science as immorally wrong and believe it should be illegal. Congress wants to pass a law, banning all research related to human-animal hybridization. In the process of doing this, however, they will sacrifice lives that could have been saved if the research of chimeras had continued. Therefore, there should not be a law making human-animal hybridization illegal because many patients are depending on the research to create medical advances and save their lives.
My favorite lead is the first one because it catches the reader's attention and many readers will be able to connect with the dilemma of the situation.
Monday, March 24, 2008
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Reclaiming My Topic
Step 3:
In the beginning of the semester I chose a topic about free-treatment in hospitals and how poor people are often cut off from these programs due to their diseases not being accepted. However, I could not find much information on my topic so I decided to change it. The topic I changed it to was human-animal hybridization. I had not heard of such a thing until I research topics on Animal Rights. After looking through a couple of sources, I was hooked on the idea of creating chimeras and I wanted to learn more. It was hard at first for me to find articles on my exact topic, but after getting the wording right in the search bars, I finally was able to find a lot of good sources. I found articles that were both for and against human-animal hybridization. In many of the articles, I found that certain experiments have already been done in the hopes of finding a cure for certain diseases in the future. The concept of a chimera isn't new either like I thought. From my research, I found that chimeras have been around for a long time, but until now it wasn't a major concern. I also found that some religious figures are for human-animal hybridization. I find this research on chimeras to be interesting. Being able to put human cells into animals and visa versa never occurred to me as being possible. After doing all of my research, i found that i am for human-animal hybridization. Though it may seem unmoral to change an animals genetics, we can learn a lot from these experiments and hopefully one day find curses to certain diseases like AIDS and mental disorders. The creating of chimeras can also allow humans to be able to accept transplanted organs from pigs. Though I am a little stressed about my paper and how to put all of my ideas together so that it flows well, i am looking forward to begin writing it. I may have to look up a few more sources though.
Step 4
Moments, Stories, People, and Scenes:
From my research, I found that not all scientists agree that human-animal hybridization should be legalized. In fact, many scientists disprove of it because they fear it will enable diseases from one species to cross into another. For example, one scientist believes that bacteria in pigs could develop in humans and therefore cause a new disease similar to AIDS. Other scientists are concerned that making chimeras of humans and gorillas or other species of monkeys may overstep the boundaries of the specie's line. They feel that since humans are so genetically related to gorillas, that implanting human cells into them would cause them to gain human characteristics and therefore they would have to be given human rights and status. However, the scientists who are for human-animal hybridization disagree, saying that it is VERY unlikely that a situation like that would ever occur. They also state that there is not really a CLEAR line between certain species. Most scientists that conduct chimera experiments do not use primates anyways. Instead, they use animals such as sheep, pigs, and mice. In one article, I found that a study was conducted where a scientist implanted human brain cells into a mouse. The mouse developed a brain with almost all human cells. However, the mouse did not act like a human b/c the brain capacity for a mouse is very small compared to ours. One of the major studies being done, however, are implanting human cells into pigs, so they create organs that can be used as humans. This experimentation could possibly save countless lives in the near future. Patients are always waiting for transplants, and many die even before they come close to being able to receive an organ.
Step 5:
Jason: What is human-animal hybridization?
Me: human-animal hybridization is a growing field in science that consists of implanting human cells into animals and animal organs into humans.
Jason: What is a chimera?
Me: A chimera is something or someone that consists of two different tissues from two different species. For example, A human that gets a transplant and now has a pig's heart is a chimera.
Jason: Why is human-animal hybridization important to advances in science?
Me: The creation of chimeras is very important to future advances in science because it could allow us to find curses for certain diseases like AIDS. It could also allow us to start implanting animal organs into humans in order to save more lives.
Jason: Why are many people opposed to the idea of making a chimera?
Me: Though some people just find it immoral due to religious beliefs, most people are just scared that the research will go to far and sooner or later scientists will cross species boundaries. For example, they are scared that an animal might develop human characteristics that might classify them as "human" and therefore we would have to grant them human status.
Jason: Should they fear the idea of animals developing into humans?
Me: No, they shouldn't. The research I've gathered explains that the probability of an animal developing human characteristics just because of implanting human cells or genes into them is very unlikely. For example, implanting brain cells into a mouse will not cause it to develop into a human because a mouse's brain capacity is very small. Therefore, though he may have human cells, that does not been he is human and behaves like a human.
Jason: Do all religious beliefs like christian and catholic disprove of chimeras?
Me: Actually, some religious icons have stated that they are actually for the creation of chimeras.
Step 6
"So What?":
Human-animal hybridization is a growing field in science that could enable scientists to find cures for certain diseases; thereby saving countless lives in the future.
In the beginning of the semester I chose a topic about free-treatment in hospitals and how poor people are often cut off from these programs due to their diseases not being accepted. However, I could not find much information on my topic so I decided to change it. The topic I changed it to was human-animal hybridization. I had not heard of such a thing until I research topics on Animal Rights. After looking through a couple of sources, I was hooked on the idea of creating chimeras and I wanted to learn more. It was hard at first for me to find articles on my exact topic, but after getting the wording right in the search bars, I finally was able to find a lot of good sources. I found articles that were both for and against human-animal hybridization. In many of the articles, I found that certain experiments have already been done in the hopes of finding a cure for certain diseases in the future. The concept of a chimera isn't new either like I thought. From my research, I found that chimeras have been around for a long time, but until now it wasn't a major concern. I also found that some religious figures are for human-animal hybridization. I find this research on chimeras to be interesting. Being able to put human cells into animals and visa versa never occurred to me as being possible. After doing all of my research, i found that i am for human-animal hybridization. Though it may seem unmoral to change an animals genetics, we can learn a lot from these experiments and hopefully one day find curses to certain diseases like AIDS and mental disorders. The creating of chimeras can also allow humans to be able to accept transplanted organs from pigs. Though I am a little stressed about my paper and how to put all of my ideas together so that it flows well, i am looking forward to begin writing it. I may have to look up a few more sources though.
Step 4
Moments, Stories, People, and Scenes:
From my research, I found that not all scientists agree that human-animal hybridization should be legalized. In fact, many scientists disprove of it because they fear it will enable diseases from one species to cross into another. For example, one scientist believes that bacteria in pigs could develop in humans and therefore cause a new disease similar to AIDS. Other scientists are concerned that making chimeras of humans and gorillas or other species of monkeys may overstep the boundaries of the specie's line. They feel that since humans are so genetically related to gorillas, that implanting human cells into them would cause them to gain human characteristics and therefore they would have to be given human rights and status. However, the scientists who are for human-animal hybridization disagree, saying that it is VERY unlikely that a situation like that would ever occur. They also state that there is not really a CLEAR line between certain species. Most scientists that conduct chimera experiments do not use primates anyways. Instead, they use animals such as sheep, pigs, and mice. In one article, I found that a study was conducted where a scientist implanted human brain cells into a mouse. The mouse developed a brain with almost all human cells. However, the mouse did not act like a human b/c the brain capacity for a mouse is very small compared to ours. One of the major studies being done, however, are implanting human cells into pigs, so they create organs that can be used as humans. This experimentation could possibly save countless lives in the near future. Patients are always waiting for transplants, and many die even before they come close to being able to receive an organ.
Step 5:
Jason: What is human-animal hybridization?
Me: human-animal hybridization is a growing field in science that consists of implanting human cells into animals and animal organs into humans.
Jason: What is a chimera?
Me: A chimera is something or someone that consists of two different tissues from two different species. For example, A human that gets a transplant and now has a pig's heart is a chimera.
Jason: Why is human-animal hybridization important to advances in science?
Me: The creation of chimeras is very important to future advances in science because it could allow us to find curses for certain diseases like AIDS. It could also allow us to start implanting animal organs into humans in order to save more lives.
Jason: Why are many people opposed to the idea of making a chimera?
Me: Though some people just find it immoral due to religious beliefs, most people are just scared that the research will go to far and sooner or later scientists will cross species boundaries. For example, they are scared that an animal might develop human characteristics that might classify them as "human" and therefore we would have to grant them human status.
Jason: Should they fear the idea of animals developing into humans?
Me: No, they shouldn't. The research I've gathered explains that the probability of an animal developing human characteristics just because of implanting human cells or genes into them is very unlikely. For example, implanting brain cells into a mouse will not cause it to develop into a human because a mouse's brain capacity is very small. Therefore, though he may have human cells, that does not been he is human and behaves like a human.
Jason: Do all religious beliefs like christian and catholic disprove of chimeras?
Me: Actually, some religious icons have stated that they are actually for the creation of chimeras.
Step 6
"So What?":
Human-animal hybridization is a growing field in science that could enable scientists to find cures for certain diseases; thereby saving countless lives in the future.
Monday, February 18, 2008
Update: Research Process 2/18/08
After changing my topic from free-treatment in hospitals to human-animal hybridization, I have been able to find a lot more articles. I find the topic of chimerism very interesting and I am excited to continue learning and writing about it in the upcoming 3rd paper. When searching google scholar, I did not find many articles for the topic of human-animal hybridization. However, I did find many articles on Galileo. The only problem with these articles is that they are not very long. Hopefully trying different keywords and searching other engines will provide me with lengthier articles and journals on my topic. I am looking forward to finding more research on my topic.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Project #2 Article
Title: "The Return of the Chimera"
Author: Ted Peters
Periodical: Theology and Science
Volume # and Date: Vol. 4, No. 3, 2006
Pages covered by article: 247-259
Author argues that Human-Animal Hybridization should not be illegal because scientists need to be able to research and test in order to improve medicine and potentially find cures for illnesses.
Author: Ted Peters
Periodical: Theology and Science
Volume # and Date: Vol. 4, No. 3, 2006
Pages covered by article: 247-259
Author argues that Human-Animal Hybridization should not be illegal because scientists need to be able to research and test in order to improve medicine and potentially find cures for illnesses.
Monday, February 11, 2008
Three Articles on Human-Animal Hybridization
1st Article:
Author: A. M. Chakrabarty
Title: "Crossing Species Boundaries and making Human-Nonhuman Hybrids: Moral and Legal Ramifications"
Title of periodical: The American Journal of Bioethics
Volume or issue number and date: Volume 3.3 (2003)
Pages covered by the article: 20-21
The information I hope to get from this article is an explanation of arguments for and against Human-Nonhuman hybrids.
2nd Article:
Author: Maryann Mott
Title: "Animal-Human Hybrids Spark Controversy"
Title of periodical: National Geographic News
Volume of issue number and date: January 25, 2005
Pages covered by the article: 1-2
The information I hope to get from this article is what Human-Animal Hybrids are being used for and why some people are for it and some are against it.
3rd Article:
Author: Phillip Karpowicz
Title: "In Defense of Stem Cell Chimeras: A Response to 'Crossing Species Boundaries'"
Title of periodical: The American Journal of Bioethics
Volume of issue number and date: Volume 3.3 (2003)
Pages covered by the article: 17-19
The information I hope to get from this article is why people are for Human-Animal Hybridization and why is it important for advances in science.
Author: A. M. Chakrabarty
Title: "Crossing Species Boundaries and making Human-Nonhuman Hybrids: Moral and Legal Ramifications"
Title of periodical: The American Journal of Bioethics
Volume or issue number and date: Volume 3.3 (2003)
Pages covered by the article: 20-21
The information I hope to get from this article is an explanation of arguments for and against Human-Nonhuman hybrids.
2nd Article:
Author: Maryann Mott
Title: "Animal-Human Hybrids Spark Controversy"
Title of periodical: National Geographic News
Volume of issue number and date: January 25, 2005
Pages covered by the article: 1-2
The information I hope to get from this article is what Human-Animal Hybrids are being used for and why some people are for it and some are against it.
3rd Article:
Author: Phillip Karpowicz
Title: "In Defense of Stem Cell Chimeras: A Response to 'Crossing Species Boundaries'"
Title of periodical: The American Journal of Bioethics
Volume of issue number and date: Volume 3.3 (2003)
Pages covered by the article: 17-19
The information I hope to get from this article is why people are for Human-Animal Hybridization and why is it important for advances in science.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Research Reflection
I believed that there would be tons of information on my topic of why some low-income families receive free-treatment and others do not . It seems so far that i may have been wrong. It has taken me awhile to find any good articles or journals on Galileo. At this time, the only good article I found on Galileo is a study which I'm using for my synthesis essay. I'm hoping that I might be able to get more information on Medicaid websites or from interviews of people that I know who are having problems receiving medical assistance. I am really looking forward to writing about this topic so I hope i can find more information.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Research Article
Title:
"Insurance + Access ? Health Care: Typology of Barriers to Health Care Access for Low-Income Families."
Author(s):
DeVoe, Jennifer
Baez, Alia
Angier, Heather
Krois, Lisa
Edlund, Christine
Carney, Patricia
Link:
http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=27563675&site=ehost-live
"Insurance + Access ? Health Care: Typology of Barriers to Health Care Access for Low-Income Families."
Author(s):
DeVoe, Jennifer
Baez, Alia
Angier, Heather
Krois, Lisa
Edlund, Christine
Carney, Patricia
Link:
http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=27563675&site=ehost-live
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