Scientists in China have recently made an astonishing breakthrough in the field of genetic experimentation. They have successfully created a primate unlike any other, possessing extraordinary observable features that captivate the imagination. This remarkable lab-born male monkey, a long-tailed macaque, exhibited eyes that shimmered with a mesmerizing shade of green and fingertips that emitted a radiant yellow glow. However, the true marvel of this creature lay beneath its skin and within its genes.
This groundbreaking experiment involved the utilization of pluripotent stem cells derived from two genetically distinct fertilized eggs of the same monkey species. The result was the creation of a living and breathing primate, a chimeric monkey, unlike anything seen before. While this is not the first instance of artificially forming a living monkey through the fusion of multiple fertilized eggs, it is undoubtedly the most diverse and mixed, as confirmed by researchers from China and the UK.
An animal chimera, as defined by Science Alert, is a single organism composed of cells originating from more than two parents. In the case of this extraordinary primate, the cells and tissues derived from two separate stem cell lines, one from a donor embryo and the other from a host embryo, were evident in various vital organs such as the brain, heart, kidney, liver, gastrointestinal tract, testes, and the cells responsible for sperm production.
Astonishingly, scientists measured a staggering 26 different tissue types in this live monkey, with the contribution of additional donated stem cells ranging from a mere 21 percent to an astonishing 92 percent. The highest percentage was observed in the brain tissues, highlighting the incredible potential of this groundbreaking experiment.
Previous studies have yielded liveborn and terminated monkey chimeric fetuses, with offspring exhibiting low donor cell contributions to various tissues, ranging from 0.1 to 4.5 percent. However, the recent chimeric monkey has shattered all previous records, surpassing expectations with its unprecedented levels of genetic diversity.
According to CNN, the monkey survived for just ten days, highlighting the persisting challenge of ensuring the long-term health of chimeric monkeys.
