They modified the human TRIM5a protein so that it would function like the chimp version.
The report goes on to say that genetic technology has become so powerful that nations need to decide whether or not doctors should ever be allowed to modify the human species.
A gene therapy treatment for hemophilia B might be of great benefit, he said, and would need to be weighed against the risks, including that of inadvertently modifying the human germ line.
An effective moratorium must be grounded in the principle that the power to modify the human genome demands serious engagement not only from scientists and ethicists but from all citizens.
Since the germ lines of rats and zebra fish have already been altered with zinc finger scissors, "in principle there is no reason why a similar strategy could not be used to modify the human germ line," Dr. Porteus said.
Likewise, the Oviedo Convention provides Article 13, which states: "An intervention seeking to modify the human genome may only be undertaken for preventive, diagnostic or therapeutic purposes and only if its aim is not to introduce any modification in the genome of any descendants".
At present it is illegal to alter the genes of reproductive "germ cells" such as eggs, sperm and embryos, but the clinical benefits of modifying the human germ-line could one day outweigh the ethical objections, says a statement by two government research councils and a coalition of medical research charities.
Massive transatlantic immigration starting in 1860 significantly modified the human genetic landscape of Argentina.
While it cannot be denied that technology can make our lives better, we also need to address the serious ethical issues raised by modifying the human body.
The principal objective of this paper is an explicit derivation of quality adjustment indices which modify the human capital of immigrants acquired from different countries, using information on their earnings in the Canadian labor market.
