Random Human Chimeras Are Absolutely Real (15 items)

• (#14) Some People Morally Object To Lab-Produced Chimeras

  Chimeras present an incredibly difficult dilemma for the medical and scientific communities. Lab-produced chimeras can certainly be helpful for stem cell research and treatment. And countless people may benefit from genetically-engineered organs. However, certain groups fear human modifications. They suggest that altering one's genetic balance or using organs from animals is unnatural and unprincipled.

  It's unclear if scientists will handle the newfound power responsibly. Biotechnology activist Jeremy Rifkin even suggested:

  One doesn't have to be religious or into animal rights to think this doesn't make sense [...] It's the scientists who want to do this. They've now gone over the edge into the pathological domain.
• (#3) A Chimera's Unborn Twin Brother Fathered His Son

  A man and his partner underwent fertility treatments to have their son. However, after the child was born, blood work revealed the child was not related to the father. The parents had the child's DNA tested, and the test revealed the child only shared 10% of his father's DNA. Naturally, the couple began to wonder if the fertility clinic had made a mistake. Additional testing showed that the father was a chimera; the DNA in his body was 90% his own, while the other 10% was actually from his unborn fraternal twin.

  As Time reported in 2015: "Apparently, the father had absorbed some of his twin's cells in the womb, effectively becoming a blend, or chimera, of himself and his brother." Geneticist Barry Starr said, "He is like dad and uncle to his kids."

  Vanishing twin syndrome is the cause of most known cases of chimerism. According to the American Pregnancy Association, vanishing twin syndrome happens when "a twin or multiple disappears in the uterus during pregnancy as a result of the miscarriage of one twin or multiple. The fetal tissue is absorbed by the other twin, multiple, placenta, or the mother."
• (#8) DNA That A Woman Passed To Her Children Was Surgically Removed From Her Body

  Karen Keegan needed a kidney transplant, so her immediate family members were tested for compatibility. Shockingly, doctors informed Keegan that her DNA did not match that of her children. Doctors tested Keegan's hair and blood, as well as everything they could think of until it was mentioned she had a thyroid nodule removed.

  The sample collected from the nodule was found and the cells in it were a genetic match for Keegan's children.
• (#13) Lab-Produced Chimeras Could Help With Medical Advances

  Certain doctors and scientists believe that chimeras could really advance the field of medical study. In particular, this genetic abnormality could aid in stem cell research. Professionals run many tests and calculations to determine if lab-produced animal chimera can lend organs to human patients.

  If stable organs can be produced in living organisms, transplant patients will have higher chances of survival. However, certain scientists worry that lab-produced chimeras will develop autoimmune issues like their human counterparts.
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  (#9) Human Chimeras Can Have Patterns On Their Skin

  Blaschko's lines are found on the skin of every human body, but most need a black light to see the crisscrossing swaths. Since chimeras have the cells of two different people, their Blaschko's lines can be visible to the naked eye.

  Some even form patterns through the contrast made by the different pigmentation in their skin.
• (#4) A Chimera Can Possess Both Male And Female Organs

  If a female twin absorbs her twin in the womb, or vice-versa, the resulting chimera can possess both sets of female organs. In one case, a woman conceived by in vitro fertilization implanted three fertilized eggs into her womb; only one baby was born.

  Her son appeared to have normal male genitalia, but surgical exploration would reveal an ovary, a fallopian tube, and part of a uterus in his body. After their removal, he was able to continue to grow with no further female genitalia appearing.

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