Monkey Chimeras

[DaisyDay]

They look a lot like regular monkeys.

The scientists combined up to six rhesus monkey embryos to produce three animals. The embryos were placed into female rhesus monkeys.
A single monkey and twins were born last year. Their tissues and organs contain cells that come from each of the embryos used in the “mix.” The animals are now about nine months old. An official at Oregon National Primate Research Center has said they are in good health and growing normally.

JUNE SIMMS: Shoukhrat Mitalipov was the lead writer of a report about the event. The report appeared last month in the journal, “Cell.”
The new monkeys are called chimeric monkeys or chimeras. In ancient Greece, a chimera was said to be a frightening-looking creature. Its body contained parts from more than one animal. But the chimera monkeys born last year look like other monkeys....

...JUNE SIMMS: Totipotent cells were responsible for creation of the whole animal, not just other living tissues. In the process, stem cells were injected into an embryo when it was still in early development. The embryo grew into a chimeric animal. This showed that the stem cells became part of the animal’s tissues and organs.

 

[Jade Margery]

In my very scientific professional opinion... those monkeys are just the cutest damn things I've ever seen. *girlish squee*

Also, chimeric animals make me nerd happy. Thanks for makin' my day!

 

[Jazer]

In my very scientific professional opinion... those monkeys are just the cutest damn things I've ever seen. *girlish squee*

Wait 'tell they are teenagers, you will be singing a different song then!

 

[USincognito]

That's interesting and they are cute, though I will point out that every offspring of sexual reproducers is a chimera true chimeras happen in utero (when one fraternal twin absorbs another).

 

[GrowingSmaller]

But will they soon get cancer?

 

[USincognito]

But will they soon get cancer?

Why do you ask?

 

[Orogeny]

I'll take three. They're ADORABLE.

 

[Naraoia]

In my very scientific professional opinion... those monkeys are just the cutest damn things I've ever seen. *girlish squee*

Was gonna say that. Grrr, stupid misguided evolutionarily programmed attraction to big-eyed baby animals!

Also, chimeric animals make me nerd happy. Thanks for makin' my day!

They could've made them from... sources with obviously different phenotypes, though. It would be nice to see the chimaerism just by looking at them.

Now I'm envisioning multicoloured GloFish

 

[Standing_Ultraviolet]

Was gonna say that. Grrr, stupid misguided evolutionarily programmed attraction to big-eyed baby animals!

They could've made them from... sources with obviously different phenotypes, though. It would be nice to see the chimaerism just by looking at them.

NO. No different phenotypes. This science is too adorable to ruin with science.

 

[Michael]

Wait 'tell they are teenagers, you will be singing a different song then!

LOL! As a primate with two teenage daughters, that one really hits home.

 

[EmmaXO]

Who needs a kid? I'm gong to get a monkey.