• Question: Is it possible to have a completely genetically enginered animal made from the best parts of others, for example a lions head on a cheetahs body with a sting ray's tail?

    Asked by dspennewynwh to David, Helen, Ian, rhysphillips, Sarah on 24 Jun 2011.
    • Photo: Rhys Phillips

      Rhys Phillips answered on 17 Jun 2011:

      It’s not yet possible to make that sort of hybrid animal from genetic engineering no.

    • Photo: Sarah Cook

      Sarah Cook answered on 19 Jun 2011:

      No, you wouldn’t be allowed to do that!

    • Photo: Ian van der Linde

      Ian van der Linde answered on 20 Jun 2011:

      Not now, but a famous British author H. G. Wells was predicting this sort of animal cut-and-shut in 1896 in his book “The Island of Doctor Moreau”. It’s a fun read, if a little scary!

    • Photo: Helen Fletcher

      Helen Fletcher answered on 24 Jun 2011:

      Theoretically I guess it is possible to cut and paste DNA from various animals to create a hybrid but there are several reasons why this won’t be possible for am long time. Firstly there are many genes with essential functions we don’t understand so we don’t have the knowledge to cut and paste properly. Secondly, genes tend to have a far reaching effect over the whole body so it’s not just a cse of pasting head genes to leg gens…
      Also DNA isn’t just like a book you read. There are modifications on there that are added when you are made, which are different in the DNA you receive from your mother and your father so it is important that you receive half your DNA from your mother and half from your father. Which is partly why cloned animals are a bit weird…
      There are some examples of genetically crossed animals, for example labradoodles, which have the ‘good guide dog’ genes of a labrador and the non-hair shedding genes of a poodle.
      Mules are also a cross between horses and donkeys, but they can’t reproduce.

Comments