Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!know!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!wuarchive!mit-eddie!media-lab!minsky
From: minsky@media-lab.MEDIA.MIT.EDU (Marvin Minsky)
Newsgroups: sci.bio
Subject: Re: Human/Chimp Hybrids?
Message-ID: <3432@media-lab.MEDIA.MIT.EDU>
Date: 21 Sep 90 20:46:00 GMT
References: <999@massey.ac.nz> <6284@bgsuvax.UUCP> <26689@boulder.Colorado.EDU>
Reply-To: minsky@media-lab.media.mit.edu (Marvin Minsky)
Organization: MIT Media Lab, Cambridge MA
Lines: 19

> Ah, but horses and donkeys have different numbers of chromosomes as
>well.  This makes their hybrids sterile, but they are viable.  I don't
>remember the numbers and I'll try to find out.  They are off by one
>pair, I believe, similarly to humans/apes.  Of course this proves
>nothing; but differing chromosome numbers is not sufficient to prevent
>interspecies crosses.

One of our chromosomes (I think the one called #3) is broken to from
two in the chimpanzee.  You'd think that in a very few years a
nanotechnologist could reach into a chimp ovem and fix this or
(depending on your point of view) make the corresponding anti repair
in a human ovum (or sperm).  Probably the human repair would be harder
because you'd have to add a spindle apparatus.

I am shocked by the ruthless opposition to this simple experiment.
Surely it is the most vicious proto-genocide to block the
coming-into-being of an entire promising new species. After all the
species w've helped extinguish, this is surely the least we could do
to make amends.