I wonder what would happen if...

[cheerfulgreek]

This past weekend I went out of town to visit a few museums and a couple of different zoos. While I was there, I got a chance to hold a chimp. I've never held one before. I thought it was pretty amazing seeing how intelligent they actually are. Of course everyone knows the old theory about humans evolving from apes and stuff. Well, I was reading the information they had about the chimps and other primates there, and some of the information I read said that humans are very similar to chimpanzees because they have 98% of our DNA. At one time I thought they had the same number of chromosomes we had, but they don't. They actually have 48 while we have 46.

The lady that was giving the presentation about the chimpanzees got a little irritated with me, because I kept asking her questions she couldn't answer. o.k. so I was a bit of a skeptic at first, my reasons for all the questions to her. One of the questions I asked her was "If the DNA sequence in humans is so close to that of chimpanzees, why do the two species look so different?" She kind of changed the subject. Then I asked her again, and she said it could be a lot of things. I said "Like what?" Then she asked me what do I think it could be. I told her I didn't know, but the only thing I could think of was that the small changes in regions of the DNA that have a regulatory function probably can have major effects on the appearance, I guess. I told her that maybe chimps and humans have different developmental trajectories, who knows? lol

When I left the zoo, on the ride back home, I started thinking about some of the things she said. Well, if chimps and humans are so close in DNA and chromosome number, what if we were to use the science of In vitro fertilization. Would something come from it? I looked it up, but I didn't see anything.

The way I look at it is, every species has a typical number of chromosomes revealed by it's karyotype. Like in a dog. Dogs have a total of 78 chromosome as an example. Another example, would be in some deer, I do know of two species of Asian deer. They look similar in appearance but have very different chromosome numbers.

Horses have 64 chromosomes, while donkies have 62. Not the same number, but yet they can produce a mule. Of course mules are usually sterile, because genetically mules have 32 horse chromosomes and 31 donkey chromosomes, giving them a total of 63 altogether...I think.

So through In vitro fertilization I wonder what would happen, since we're supposedly so closely related to chimps. That was one of the questions I asked the tour guide lady. I think she thought I was nuts, which is why I was a little skeptical about posting this. What the heck, I thought it would be something to chit chat about.

[DaemonSeid]

Originally Posted by cheerfulgreek

This past weekend I went out of town to visit a few museums and a couple of different zoos. While I was there, I got a chance to hold a chimp. I've never held one before. I thought it was pretty amazing seeing how intelligent they actually are. Of course everyone knows the old theory about humans evolving from apes and stuff. Well, I was reading the information they had about the chimps and other primates there, and some of the information I read said that humans are very similar to chimpanzees because they have 98% of our DNA. At one time I thought they had the same number of chromosomes we had, but they don't. They actually have 48 while we have 46.

The lady that was giving the presentation about the chimpanzees got a little irritated with me, because I kept asking her questions she couldn't answer. o.k. so I was a bit of a skeptic at first, my reasons for all the questions to her. One of the questions I asked her was "If the DNA sequence in humans is so close to that of chimpanzees, why do the two species look so different?" She kind of changed the subject. Then I asked her again, and she said it could be a lot of things. I said "Like what?" Then she asked me what do I think it could be. I told her I didn't know, but the only thing I could think of was that the small changes in regions of the DNA that have a regulatory function probably can have major effects on the appearance, I guess. I told her that maybe chimps and humans have different developmental trajectories, who knows? lol

When I left the zoo, on the ride back home, I started thinking about some of the things she said. Well, if chimps and humans are so close in DNA and chromosome number, what if we were to use the science of In vitro fertilization. Would something come from it? I looked it up, but I didn't see anything.

The way I look at it is, every species has a typical number of chromosomes revealed by it's karyotype. Like in a dog. Dogs have a total of 78 chromosome as an example. Another example, would be in some deer, I do know of two species of Asian deer. They look similar in appearance but have very different chromosome numbers.

Horses have 64 chromosomes, while donkeys have 62. Not the same number, but yet they can produce a mule. Of course mules are usually sterile, because genetically mules have 32 horse chromosomes and 31 donkey chromosomes, giving them a total of 63 altogether...I think.

So through In vitro fertilization I wonder what would happen, since we're supposedly so closely related to chimps. That was one of the questions I asked the tour guide lady. I think she thought I was nuts, which is why I was a little skeptical about posting this. What the heck, I thought it would be something to chit chat about.

1. You know the tour guide has a script...u asked her questions waaaaay above her pay grade to answer...lol

2. sweetie you are thinking too hard...!!

2a. AKA Monet...where are you?

[PiKA2001]

Just do it with a chimp already perv.

[PeppyGPhiB]

Have you watched Escape to Chimp Eden on Animal Planet? It's really an incredible show, and I'll admit that when I watch it, I can't help but remark on how similar to humans they are. Even when they walk upright they resemble people.

Keep in mind that though we have similar numbers of chromosomes, those chromosomes aren't necessarily the same.

[cheerfulgreek]

Originally Posted by PeppyGPhiB

Have you watched Escape to Chimp Eden on Animal Planet? It's really an incredible show, and I'll admit that when I watch it, I can't help but remark on how similar to humans they are. Even when they walk upright they resemble people.

Keep in mind that though we have similar numbers of chromosomes, those chromosomes aren't necessarily the same.

I watch animal planet a lot, but I haven't watched that one. I just don't totally believe we came from apes. It's possible, but that's why I was asking the tour guide lady a ton of questions, that she obviously couldn't answer.

True, but neither are horses and donkies.

[nate2512]

Originally Posted by cheerfulgreek

I just don't totally believe we came from apes.

Cause we didn't.

[cheerfulgreek]

Originally Posted by PiKA2001

Just do it with a chimp already perv.

Ohhh you're so funny.

Based on your siggy, you probably already did...jerk.

[cheerfulgreek]

Originally Posted by DaemonSeid

1. You know the tour guide has a script...u asked her questions waaaaay above her pay grade to answer...lol

2. sweetie you are thinking too hard...!!

2a. AKA Monet...where are you?

lol

It's the in vitro fertilization I'm wondering about, but having the chimp carry "IT" after the egg has been fertilized.

[Leslie Anne]

As incredibly stupid as it seems, yes there is a Flat Earth Society. http://www.theflatearthsociety.org/forum/

[RU OX Alum]

Originally Posted by Leslie Anne

As incredibly stupid as it seems, yes there is a Flat Earth Society. http://www.theflatearthsociety.org/forum/

Thanks Leslie, and Jon, for the PM

wow

i heard about it but thought it was a joke

now i hope everyone realises the dangers of lead-based paints

[nittanyalum]

Originally Posted by Leslie Anne

As incredibly stupid as it seems, yes there is a Flat Earth Society. http://www.theflatearthsociety.org/forum/

Wow, that's actually scary.

Geez, can you imagine the trolls THAT board gets??!?

[nate2512]

Originally Posted by nittanyalum

Wow, that's actually scary.

Geez, can you imagine the trolls THAT board gets??!?

.

I'm not a member of the flat earth society.

[cheerfulgreek]

Originally Posted by Leslie Anne

As incredibly stupid as it seems, yes there is a Flat Earth Society. http://www.theflatearthsociety.org/forum/

lol lol lol

What a bunch of idiots. I wonder if I join would I get banned from there? I think I'll join.

ETA: They probably also think the earth is a 50,000 years old too. lol

[Leslie Anne]

Originally Posted by cheerfulgreek

What a bunch of idiots. I wonder if I join would I get banned from there? I think I'll join.

ETA: They probably also think the earth is a 50,000 years old too. lol

They probably do! Apparently, they took a poll on how many of their members base their flat earth belief on passages from the bible but the link was dead. (darn it!)

That's probably one of the few messageboards where the trolls are the sane ones.

Anyway, back to the original topic....You got me curious so I googled "cross-species in vitro fertilization" and "cross-species embryo transfer" and I was surprised to find that this is actually being done on animals. A woman named Betsy Dresser has pioneered the practice in an effort to save some endangered species from extinction.

I doubt that it would ever be tried with human embryos. First, you'd have to find an animal that would accept the embryo, then one that could actually birth a human baby (I certainly have no idea about ape reproductive organs) and then there would inevitably be some legislation that would be put in place against it since some related practices have been made illegal. I was surprised, however, to find that there are some sketchy things going on nonetheless.

For example, a human nucleus has been put into a cow cell and there actually was cell division (er something like that). The "thing" was destroyed shortly after observing that it was possible. (google "human-cow hybrid" for more) Creepy, to say the least.

Haven't these scientists seen The Fly? IMHO, it's yet another situation where just because you can doesn't mean you should.

[cheerfulgreek]

Originally Posted by Leslie Anne

They probably do! Apparently, they took a poll on how many of their members base their flat earth belief on passages from the bible but the link was dead. (darn it!)

That's probably one of the few messageboards where the trolls are the sane ones.

Anyway, back to the original topic....You got me curious so I googled "cross-species in vitro fertilization" and "cross-species embryo transfer" and I was surprised to find that this is actually being done on animals. A woman named Betsy Dresser has pioneered the practice in an effort to save some endangered species from extinction.

I doubt that it would ever be tried with human embryos. First, you'd have to find an animal that would accept the embryo, then one that could actually birth a human baby (I certainly have no idea about ape reproductive organs) and then there would inevitably be some legislation that would be put in place against it since some related practices have been made illegal. I was surprised, however, to find that there are some sketchy things going on nonetheless.

For example, a human nucleus has been put into a cow cell and there actually was cell division (er something like that). The "thing" was destroyed shortly after observing that it was possible. (google "human-cow hybrid" for more) Creepy, to say the least.

Haven't these scientists seen The Fly? IMHO, it's yet another situation where just because you can doesn't mean you should.

omg I love this one...the one about the Bible! Don't get me wrong, I don't negate anything the Bible teaches, but quite a few people see discrepancies between the biblical creation story as they understand it and the idea of evolution. I like how they say "Oh the Earth is only a few thousand years old and that all the organisms were created by God exactly as you see them today." Right there is where I can see the areas of disagreement. See, this theory's creation date is at odds with most of what humans know from other fields of science specifically from physics and astronomy, which indicate that the Earth is about 4 billion years old. The evolutionary process as I understand it wouldn't have had sufficient time to generate the diversity of the planet. I honestly think evolution is at odds with a literal interpretation of the biblical creation story. There's just no way around it. Many denominations of Christianity as well as other religions of course have no problem with the theory of evolution or with the age of the Earth being a little over 4 billion years. I think that's just the way God made things ya know.

lol I'm actually thinking about signing up to be a member of that message board, just to get under their skin. I'll probably get banned within the 1st 5 or 6 posts lol lol lol.

I figured some kind of experiments were being done. That's why I kept asking the tour guide lady a bunch of questions she couldn't answer. I wasn't trying to make her look like a moron or anything, I was just trying to see why she thought humans and chimps were related. I was just curious.

The information you provided is SO good. I actually think scientist have done some crazy things, and even if they did do in vitro reproduction, with a chimp and a human they wouldn't let it leak out. People would freak.

lol at the human cow "thing". I'm not surprised. Of course the cows body would have probably rejected it. Who knows? I'll google it though.

Yep, the last part of your post is SO true. That makes so much sense.