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In zoology, a chimera is an animal which has two or more different populations of cells, which are genetically distinct and which originated in different zygotes (fertilized eggs). Chimeras are named after the mythological creature Chimera. Zoology (Greek zoon = animal and logos = word) is the biological discipline which involves the study of animals. ...
Cells in culture, stained for keratin (red) and DNA (green) The cell is the structural and functional unit of all living organisms, sometimes called the building blocks of life. ...
A zygote (Greek: ζυγωτόν) is a cell that is the result of fertilization. ...
In Greek Mythology, Chimera ( Greek Χιμαιρα [Khimaira]; Latin, Chimæra) was one of the offspring of Typhon and Echidna. ...
Natural chimerism
Chimerism may occur naturally during pregnancy, when two non-identical twins (even of different sexes) combine in the womb at a very early stage of development, such as that of the blastocyst, to form a single organism. Such an organism is called a tetragametic chimera as it is formed from four gametes — two eggs and two sperm. A pregnant woman Pregnancy is the carrying of one or more embryos or feti by female mammals or by humans inside their bodies. ...
Fraternal twin boys in the tub The term twin most notably refers to two individuals (or one of two individuals) who have shared the same uterus (womb) and are usually, but not necessarily, born on the same day. ...
An intersexual or intersex person (or animal of any unisexual species) is one who is born with genitalia and/or secondary sexual characteristics of indeterminate sex, or which combine features of both sexes. ...
Mammalian embryogenesis is the process of cell division and cellular differentiation which leads to the development of a mammalian embryo. ...
Gametes (in Greek: γαμέτες) —also known as sex cells, germ cells, or spores—are the specialized cells that come together during fertilization (conception) in organisms that reproduce sexually. ...
A human ovum An ovum (also oocyte, ovocyte, or loosely, egg or egg cell) is a female sex cell or gamete. ...
Schematic diagram of a sperm cell, showing the (1) acrosome, (2) cell membrane, (3) nucleus, (4) mitochondria, and (5) flagellum (tail) A sperm cell, or spermatozoon ( spermatozoa) (in Greek: sperm = semen and zoon = alive), is the haploid cell that is the male gamete. ...
As the organism develops, the resulting chimera can come to possess organs that have different sets of chromosomes. For example, the chimera may have a liver composed of cells with one set of chromosomes and have a kidney composed of cells with a second set of chromosomes. This has occurred in humans, though it is considered extremely rare, but since it can only be detected through DNA testing, which itself is currently rare, it may be more common than currently believed. As of 2003, there were about 30 human cases in the literature, according to New Scientist. In biology, an organ (Latin organum: instrument, tool) is a group of tissues, which perform a specific function or group of functions. ...
Figure 1: Chromosome. ...
The liver is an organ in vertebrates, including humans. ...
Kidneys viewed from behind with spine removed The kidneys are bean-shaped excretory organs in vertebrates. ...
Binomial name Homo sapiens Linnaeus, 1758 Subspecies Homo sapiens idaltu (extinct) Homo sapiens sapiens Human beings define themselves in biological, social, and spiritual terms. ...
2003 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar, and also: The International Year of Freshwater The European Disability Year Events January events January 1 Luíz Inácio Lula Da Silva becomes the 37th President of Brazil. ...
New Scientist cover - 18 December 2004 New Scientist is a weekly international science magazine covering recent developments in science and technology for a general English-speaking audience. ...
Microchimerism Microchimerism is the presence of a small amount of cells genetically distinct to those of the host individual or an organ. The most common form is fetomaternal microchimerism (or fetal chimerism) whereby cells from a fetus pass through into the mother. Fetus at eight weeks A fetus (alternatively foetus or fœtus) is an unborn vertebrate offspring after the embryonary stage. ...
Research chimerism In biological research, chimeras are artificially produced by mixing cells from two different organisms. This can result in the eventual development of an adult animal composed of cells from both donors, which may be of different species — for example, in 1984 a chimeric geep was produced by combining embryos from a goat and a sheep. A chicken with a quail's brain has been produced by grafting portions of a quail embryo into a chicken embryo. In biology, a species is, loosely speaking, a group of related organisms that share a more or less distinctive form and are capable of interbreeding. ...
1984 is a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
A geep is a chimera produced by combining the embryos of a goat and a sheep. ...
Embryos (and one tadpole) of the wrinkled frog (Rana rugosa you beezie). ...
Species See Species and subspecies A goat is an animal in the genus Capra, which consists of nine species: the Ibex, the West Caucasian Tur, the East Caucasian Tur, the Markhor, and the Wild Goat. ...
Binomial name Ovis aries Linnaeus, 1758 A sheep is any of several woolly ruminant quadrupeds, but most commonly the Domestic Sheep (Ovis aries), which probably descends from the wild moufflon of south-central and south-west Asia. ...
Binomial name Gallus gallus (Linnaeus, 1758) A chicken (Gallus gallus) is a type of domesticated bird which is often raised as a type of poultry. ...
Genera Coturnix Anurophasis Perdicula Ophrysia † See also Pheasant, Partridge, Grouse Quail is a collective name for several genera of mid-sized birds in the Pheasant family Phasianidae. ...
In August 2003, researchers at the Shanghai Second Medical University in China reported that they had successfully fused human skin cells and rabbit eggs to create the first human chimeric embryos. The embryos were allowed to develop for several days in a laboratory setting, then destroyed to harvest the resulting stem cells. Increasingly realizable projects using part-human, part-animal chimeras as living factories for producing cells or organs raise a host of ethical and safety issues. 2003 : January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December A timeline of events in the news for August, 2003. ...
Shanghai Second Medical University (上海第二医科大学) is a public university in Shanghai, China. ...
Model of the layers of human skin In zootomy and dermatology, skin is an organ of the integumentary system; which is composed of a layer of tissues that protect underlying muscles and organs. ...
Genera Pentalagus Bunolagus Nesolagus Romerolagus Brachylagus Sylvilagus Oryctolagus Poelagus The bane of Australian farmers - the wild rabbit An old rabbit trap Rabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae, found in many parts of the world. ...
Mouse embryonic stem cells. ...
Chimeras should not be confused with hybrids, which are organisms formed from two gametes (each from a different species) which formed a single zygote. All cells in a hybrid originate from this single zygote. For example, a mule is a hybrid created from the sperm of a donkey and the egg of a horse. In biology, hybrid has three meanings. ...
In its common modern meaning, a mule is the offspring of a male donkey and a female horse. ...
Binomial name Equus asinus Linnaeus, 1758 The donkey or ass (Equus asinus) is a domesticated animal of the horse family, Equidae. ...
Binomial name Equus caballus Linnaeus, 1758 The Horse (Equus caballus) is a sizeable ungulate mammal, one of the seven modern species of the genus Equus. ...
Chimeras should also not be confused with mosaics, which are organisms with genetically different cell types, but which again originate from a single zygote. Mosaicism In medicine (genetics), a mosaic or mosaicism denotes the presence of two populations of cells with different genotypes in one patient, where usually one of the two is affected by a genetic disorder. ...
See also Chimeras in botany are single organisms composed of two genetically different types of tissue. ...
Mosaicism In medicine (genetics), a mosaic or mosaicism denotes the presence of two populations of cells with different genotypes in one patient, where usually one of the two is affected by a genetic disorder. ...
Families Callorhynchidae Rhinochimaeridae Chimaeridae Other meanings, based on a fantastic animal, are at Chimera Chimaera is the common name of the species in the families Callorhynchidae, Rhinochimaeridae and Chimaeridae which all are closely related to sharks; they are also called ghost sharks. ...
Parahumans are hypothetical chimera of humans and other species. ...
An intersexual or intersex person (or animal of any unisexual species) is one who is born with genitalia and/or secondary sexual characteristics of indeterminate sex, or which combine features of both sexes. ...
References - Ainsworth, Claire (Nov. 15, 2003). The Stranger Within. New Scientist (subscription). (reprinted here)
- Weiss, Rick (Aug. 14, 2003). Cloning yields human-rabbit hybrid embryo. The Washington Post.
- U.S. Denies Patent for a Too-Human Hybrid. The Washington Post.
New Scientist cover - 18 December 2004 New Scientist is a weekly international science magazine covering recent developments in science and technology for a general English-speaking audience. ...
Washington Post masthead The Washington Post is the largest and oldest newspaper in Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States. ...
Washington Post masthead The Washington Post is the largest and oldest newspaper in Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States. ...
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