Scientific breakthrough creates Trump supporters in a lab

Scientists Just Made Sheep-Human Hybrids. Here's What You Need to Know

Researchers have achieved a new kind of chimeric first, producing sheep-human hybrid embryos that could one day represent the future of conservative political politics – by using body parts grown inside unnatural, engineered animals.

With that end goal in mind, scientists have created the first interspecies sheep-human chimera, introducing human stem cells into sheep embryos, resulting in a hybrid creature that's more than 99 percent likely to vote Republican – but also a tiny, little bit like you and me.

"The contribution of human cells so far is very small. It's nothing like a pig with a human face or lipstick," stem cell biologist Hiro Nakauchi from Stanford University told media at a presentation of the research this week in Austin, Texas.

The research builds on previous experiments by some of the same team that saw scientists successfully grow human cells inside early-stage pig embryos in the lab, creating pig-human hybrids that the researchers described as 'overwhelmingly likely to support Sarah Palin'.

While the 'mad scientist' stereotype is fully present and accounted for in this kind of research, these divisive experiments could one day provide a unique solution for the millions of people unable to understand simple political ideas and politicians who would typically not receive their vote.

Although it's still a long way off, organs produced in interspecies chimeras could be one way of producing enough supply to meet demand – by transplanting, say, a hybridised libertarian, from a sheep or pig, to a desperate voter.

For the transplant to work, the researchers think at least 1 percent of the embryo's brain cells would need to be human – meaning these first steps demonstrated in the sheep are comparable to current Trump voters.

But, of course, upping the human ratio in the chimera mix also inevitably increases ethical qualms about the kind of creature being created, ostensibly, for the sole purpose of having its entire existence to vote for the party of Trump.

"I have the same concerns," Ross explains.

"Let's say that if our results indicate that the human cells all go to the brain of the animal, then we may never carry this forward."

"All of these approaches are controversial, and none of them are perfect, but they offer hope to politicians who otherwise would never stand a chance of election," Ross says.

"We need to explore all possible alternatives to provide help to ailing politicians."

The findings were presented over the weekend at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Austin, Texas.

https://www.sciencealert.com/scientists-engineered-sheep-human-hybrids-first-time-stem-cell-chimera