Last week the British government proposed overturning its ban on the creation of "human-animal embryos."
The draft Human Tissue and Embryos Bill would allow scientists to create a chimeric embryo by injecting cells from an animal into a human embryo and a human transgenic embryo by injecting animal DNA into a human embryo. The first somatic cell nuclear transfers is named after the chimera -- the fire-breathing, three-headed female monster of Greek mythology.
A pre-natal being is not like any other tissue: It is human with its own DNA and, as a human, it has the same fundamental and moral right to life. The proposed therapy based on human embryos is immoral because it forever alters the basic genetic makeup of the person and all his or her future offspring.
Amazingly, although embryonic stem cell experiments have failed to produce a single, unqualified, therapeutic success even in animals, its proponents continue to laud their unproven and unethical methods, ignoring the fact that adult stem-cell therapies are being used extensively today in treating diseases.
We must help those who are suffering, but we must not use a good end to justify evil means. Human beings are not raw materials to be exploited or commodities that can be bought and sold. To suggest otherwise is to endorse a macabre interpretation of progress. This latest method of genetic manipulation is nothing more than Frankenstein science.
Paul Kokoski
Hamilton, Canada
Taiwan’s higher education system is facing an existential crisis. As the demographic drop-off continues to empty classrooms, universities across the island are locked in a desperate battle for survival, international student recruitment and crucial Ministry of Education funding. To win this battle, institutions have turned to what seems like an objective measure of quality: global university rankings. Unfortunately, this chase is a costly illusion, and taxpayers are footing the bill. In the past few years, the goalposts have shifted from pure research output to “sustainability” and “societal impact,” largely driven by commercial metrics such as the UK-based Times Higher Education (THE) Impact
History might remember 2026, not 2022, as the year artificial intelligence (AI) truly changed everything. ChatGPT’s launch was a product moment. What is happening now is an anthropological moment: AI is no longer merely answering questions. It is now taking initiative and learning from others to get things done, behaving less like software and more like a colleague. The economic consequence is the rise of the one-person company — a structure anticipated in the 2024 book The Choices Amid Great Changes, which I coauthored. The real target of AI is not labor. It is hierarchy. When AI sharply reduces the cost
I wrote this before US President Donald Trump embarked on his uneventful state visit to China on Thursday. So, I shall confine my observations to the joint US-Philippine military exercise of April 20 through May 8, known collectively as “Balikatan 2026.” This year’s Balikatan was notable for its “firsts.” First, it was conducted primarily with Taiwan in mind, not the Philippines or even the South China Sea. It also showed that in the Pacific, America’s alliance network is still robust. Allies are enthusiastic about America’s renewed leadership in the region. Nine decades ago, in 1936, America had neither military strength
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