Mackenzie, this really should give people something to ponder.  Maybe this
explains nature's mistakes like conjoined twins.  Recently there was a baby
born with  two heads that died after an attempt to remove the extra head.  I
don't know as much as you do about this, but it seems to me there are many
hurdles that must be overcome before a blastocyst becomes a human being.
Becoming a person is not a sure thing under "natural" conditions.
Ray
----- Original Message -----
From: "mackenzie" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Tuesday, March 28, 2006 8:18 AM
Subject: Re: Mouse Testicle Cells - teratomas


>i am actually not surprised by this. i read a book
> about the history of stem cell research and was
> fascinated by the discovery of the origins of a type
> of tumor called a teratoma (maybe you know all about
> them - i had never heard of them) - which leads to
> something a little different from what the researchers
> in this article have found, but related, and
> interesting.
>
> there is an unfortunate strain of mice that seems to
> be predisposed to this malady and a researcher whose
> name escapes me discovered that these tumors begin to
> form in the developing mouse embryo or fetus when a
> germ cell (sperm or egg for those who, like me, had
> forgotten what a germ cell was) somehow ended up
> somewhere it wasn''t supposed to be - wasn't clear to
> me whether it migrated to the wrong place or came into
> being in the wrong place.
>
> but germ cells (and maybe all cells in a developing
> entity, i don't know) must get a lot of the
> "instructions" they follow in developing from the
> environment, or area of the body in which they are
> supposed to be, because these misplaced germ cells
> start doing stuff that they are simply not supposed to
> do, i.e., they start dividing exactly like an embryo
> would.
>
> and for some period of time (not very long) they
> continue to divide and proceed exactly like an embryo
> - the instructions triggering the commencement of
> differentiation have been received and differentiation
> has begun. eventually they are ready for the next set
> of instructions, which must contain the how-to for
> keeping all that differentiation organized, because
> when those instructions are not forthcoming, the
> developing entity loses its coherence and while it
> continues along the path of differentiation, it does
> so in a chaotic way - and inside a teratoma one finds
> random fully differentiated cells, like bone, bronchil
> tissue, hair and teeth.
>
> Some who oppose ESCR have argued that a zygote, or the
> earliest stage of an embryo, is just as sacred as a
> fully formed human because it contains the entire
> blueprint for becoming a fully formed human. but seem
> to me the formation of teratomas could be evidence of
> a couple of things.
>
> first, that the zygote does *not* contain the entire
> blue print. seems more likely to me that it contains
> instruction on the first few steps, which must end
> such that the developing entity is in a state
> receptive to, or seeking out, the next set of
> instructions - and the whole deal is off if that next
> set of instructions is not forthcoming. so the zygote
> does *not* contain the entire blueprint - it just
> starts the ball rolling - the next set comes from its
> environment (or not). at least that is the way it
> seems.
>
> the other thing it says to me is that every single
> germ cell has the potential *on its own* to become an
> embryo. all it needs are the wrong instructions - it
> has all of the necessary building blocks. it is even
> possible that rather than it being a case of the
> presence of the wrong instructions, it could be the
> absence of the right ones, where the right ones would
> *stop* the cell from starting down the path of
> differentiation.
>
> all very interesting, particularly in view of the
> sacredness those who oppose  ESCR place on a cell's
> *potential* to become a fully formed human being.
>
>
>
>
>
>
> --- "M.Schild" <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
>> March 26, 2006
>>  Amrita Rajan
>>
>>
>> The fruit of your loins might just be an end to the
>> suffering of millions
>> worldwide.
>> According to German scientists, cells from mice
>> testes "closely mimic"
>> embryonic stem cells, i.e. they can transform into
>> almost any type of body
>> tissue.
>> All stem cells - whether embryonic or not - possess
>> three characteristics:
>> "they are capable of dividing and renewing
>> themselves for long periods; they
>> are unspecialized; and they can give rise to
>> specialized cell types." The
>> problem, however, is to keep the stem cells
>> unspecialized in laboratory
>> conditions until they are needed. Thus far,
>> embryonic stem cells are the only
>> ones that scientists have been able to stabilize as
>> required. That process
>> took 20 years to master. The discovery of the mice
>> testes, therefore, is
>> significant.
>> Of course, in case the lab results can be duplicated
>> in humans, many people
>> will be happy for more than purely scientific
>> reasons. In case you missed it,
>> a lot of people have been very unhappy about the
>> "embryonic" in embryonic
>> stem cells. To find cures for diseases such as
>> Parkinson's and Alzheimer's
>> are of course noble goals, but the fact that those
>> cures might come from the
>> yet unrealized corpses of future generations of
>> humans was too much to
>> swallow for some people.
>> Some people who vote. And others who just pray -
>> loudly.
>> And so the news that we don't have to wait for the
>> sperm to make its way into
>> an egg for science to advance is no doubt very good
>> news. Now, we can go
>> directly to the source and hope that there is not
>> much difference between man
>> and mouse.
>> It is too early to know what the proponents of
>> Intelligent Design are thinking
>> but it is possible that in the interests of
>> scientific achievement they will
>> take the stance that when the Designer was Designing
>> us all, He knew we might
>> have need of mice to point us in the right path.
>> Only time, or An Entity not quite God but
>> suspiciously like Him, can tell.
>>
>> Amrita Rajan lives and lives to write in NYC. [Was
>> that too cute for you?]
>>
>>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>> To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to:
>> mailto:[log in to unmask]
>> In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn
>>
>
>
> __________________________________________________
> Do You Yahoo!?
> Tired of spam?  Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around
> http://mail.yahoo.com
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to:
> mailto:[log in to unmask]
> In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn

----------------------------------------------------------------------
To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask]
In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn