News: The girl with three biological parents

Gabriel_Spears

Quote:

Alana Saarinen loves playing golf and the piano, listening to music and hanging out with friends. In those respects, she's like many teenagers around the world. Except she's not, because every cell in Alana's body isn't like mine and yours - Alana is one of a few people in the world who have DNA from three people.

"A lot of people say I have facial features from my mum, my eyes look like my dad… I have some traits from them and my personality is the same too," says Alana.

"I also have DNA from a third lady. But I wouldn't consider her a third parent, I just have some of her mitochondria."

Mitochondria are often called the cell's factories. They are the bits that create the energy all of our cells need to work, and keep the body functioning. But they also contain a little bit of DNA.

Alana Saarinen is one of only 30 to 50 people in the world who have some mitochondria, and therefore a bit of DNA, from a third person. She was conceived through a pioneering infertility treatment in the USA which was later banned.

But soon there could be more people like Alana, with three genetic parents, because the UK is looking to legalise a new, similar technique which would use a donor's mitochondria to try to eliminate debilitating genetic diseases. It is called mitochondrial replacement and if Parliament votes to let this happen, the UK would become the only country in the world to allow children with three people's DNA to be born.

FULL ARTICLE

B'Day

W-What

Topherfy

I'm all for it if it devitalizes the potential for genetic diseases.
But of course, someone will try militarize this.

Starstruck.

What even

Goosey

Quote:

the UK is looking to legalise a new, similar technique which would use a donor's mitochondria to try to eliminate debilitating genetic diseases. It is called mitochondrial replacement and if Parliament votes to let this happen, the UK would become the only country in the world to allow children with three people's DNA to be born.

Seriously? They are going to allow doctors to create genetic mutants? I don't believe it. Someone should step in and stop these twisted experiments. Men should not be allowed to play God, that scares me more than ISIS!

EnigmaPopstar

Well she has a minimal amount of DNA from that third person but it'd still impressive.

EnigmaPopstar

Quote:

Originally posted by Goosey

Seriously? They are going to allow doctors to create genetic mutants? I don't believe it. Someone should step in and stop these twisted experiments. Men should not be allowed to play God, that scares me more than ISIS!

That's the whole point of science tho? Unless you want to die from a cold or never want cancer to be cured.

Drowned_World

Bye.

LoKoPaNdA

I don't see nothing bad in this, it is human DNA at least. I read once about a doctor who wanted to use a cow's egg with human mitochondria.

.:Allen:.

Hmm I feel like a lot of bad could come from this.

rac7d

so can i be part cheetah i want super speed

Rainsford

TasteOfYourLips

Quote:

Originally posted by .:Allen:.

Hmm I feel like a lot of bad could come from this.

mte.

Goosey

Quote:

Originally posted by EnigmaPopstar

That's the whole point of science tho? Unless you want to die from a cold or never want cancer to be cured.

No, it's not, it's not needed, some things are off-limits. As for dying - we live once, then eternally with Christ.

Kane

Quote:

Originally posted by Goosey

No, it's not, it's not needed, some things are off-limits. As for dying - we live once, then eternally with Christ.

Not everyone believes that though.

RainDreamer

Wait , this is mutant kind of stuff in a way

Why couldn't i have been born later on

Saint

This is messy, extraordinary, but still messy. Especially when a lot of things factor in that could cause major issues.

Retro

Quote:

Originally posted by Topherfy

I'm all for it if it devitalizes the potential for genetic diseases.
But of course, someone will try militarize this.

What? How would you militarize a mitochondrial insertion?

Quote:

Originally posted by .:Allen:.

Hmm I feel like a lot of bad could come from this.

What bad, pray tell?

Quote:

Originally posted by Goosey

Seriously? They are going to allow doctors to create genetic mutants? I don't believe it. Someone should step in and stop these twisted experiments. Men should not be allowed to play God, that scares me more than ISIS!

Quote:

Originally posted by Goosey

No, it's not, it's not needed, some things are off-limits. As for dying - we live once, then eternally with Christ.

What the literal ****?

Seriously, do you even have any idea what this is? This is not "playing god". These people are not "mutants". Saving peoples' lives from crippling genetic disorders does not constitute any kind of "twisted experiment".

PrettyHurts

ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

TheRoofInhabitant

Mitochondrial DNA isn't even related to body features