首页
外语
计算机
考研
公务员
职业资格
财经
工程
司法
医学
专升本
自考
实用职业技能
登录
考研
Is it possible for a child to have three parents? A paper just published in Nature by Shoukhrat Mital-ipov and his colleagues se
Is it possible for a child to have three parents? A paper just published in Nature by Shoukhrat Mital-ipov and his colleagues se
admin
2014-06-25
70
问题
Is it possible for a child to have three parents? A paper just published in Nature by Shoukhrat Mital-ipov and his colleagues seems answer "yes", for this study paves the way for the birth of children who, genetically, have one father, but two mothers.
The reason this is possible is that a mother’s genetic contribution to her offspring comes in two separable pieces. By far the largest is packed into the 23 chromosomes in the nucleus of an unfertilized egg. Besides, the mother also contributes what is known as mitochondrial DNA. And it is that fact which has allowed doctors to conceive of the idea of people with two mothers; one providing the nuclear DNA and one the mitochondrial sort. The reason for doing this is that mutations in mitochondrial DNA can cause disease. Each particular mitochondrial disease is rare. But there are lots of them. Mitochondrial disease is thus not a huge problem, but it is not negligible, either.
However, turning the experiment of mitochondrial transplantation into a medical procedure would be a long road, and not just scientifically. Dr Mitalipov has little doubt that his zygotes could be brought to term if they were transplanted into a woman’s womb. That experiment, though, is illegal. But the fact that it now looks possible will surely stimulate debate about whether the law should be changed.
Two kinds of questions arise. One kind is practical: would the process usually work and, if it did, would it always lead to a healthy baby who would have a normal chance of growing into a healthy adult? The second kind of question is moral, for what is being proposed is, in essence, genetic engineering. Not, perhaps, as classically conceived because no DNA is artificially modified. But it is engineering nevertheless, which might worry some people.
On the first kind of question, the signs are good. When Dr Mitalipov tested his zygotes, he could find no trace of mutated mitochondrial DNA. It is on the moral questions that things may stumble. Some people oppose such genetic modification in principle. Some worry about the consequences of a third adult being involved in the traditionally two-person process of parenthood though the mitochondrial contribution is restricted to genes for energy-processing proteins and is unlikely to have wider influences on family resemblance. Some worry that three-parented individuals may themselves be worried by knowledge of their origin.
In the end, whether three-parent children are permitted will probably depend on the public "uggh!" factor. There was once opposition to in vitro fertilisation, with scornful terms like "test-tube baby" being spread about. Now, IVF is routine, and it is routine because it is successful. What will probably happen to mitochondrial transplants is that one country permits the procedure, and the world will then see the consequences. If they are good, you will never find anyone who will admit to having opposed the transplants in the first place. If they are bad, the phrase "I told you so" will ring aloud.
The last paragraph implies that mitochondrial transplantation______.
选项
A、is controversial but worth pursuing
B、is technically feasible but morally unacceptable
C、is a technique with little bad consequences
D、is a long-awaited answer to mitochondrial diseases
答案
A
解析
最后一段作者所举例子“体外人工受精”最初也是受到公众反对,但现在却是普遍接受的,作者在此强调其能成为公众所接受的常规行为的原因在于“successful”,即体外人工受精是有效的。而作者在讨论线粒体移植时也指出移植结果的好坏会直接影响公众的态度,由作者对最终成效的重视可看出作者的态度倾向于持续探索线粒体移植。[A]选项正确。
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/MFK4777K
0
考研英语一
相关试题推荐
Scientistsaroundtheworldareracingtolearnhowtorapidlydiagnose,treatandstopthespreadofanew,deadlydisease.SAR
Scientistsaroundtheworldareracingtolearnhowtorapidlydiagnose,treatandstopthespreadofanew,deadlydisease.SAR
Everycultureattemptstocreatea"universeofdiscourse"foritsmembers,awayinwhichpeoplecaninterprettheirexperience
Untilthelate1940swhentelevisionbeganfindingitswayintoAmericanhomes,companiesreliedmainlyonprintandradiotopr
Untilthelate1940swhentelevisionbeganfindingitswayintoAmericanhomes,companiesreliedmainlyonprintandradiotopr
How’sthisforacynicalviewofscience?(46)"Anewscientifictruthdoesnottriumphbyconvincingitsopponentsandmakingth
HowdoyougettoCarnegieHall?Practice.Inagroundbreakingpaperpublishedin1993,cognitivepsychologistAndersEricssona
HowdoyougettoCarnegieHall?Practice.Inagroundbreakingpaperpublishedin1993,cognitivepsychologistAndersEricssona
Somepeoplethinkpeopleshouldlearntocompete,butothersthinkthatpeopleshouldbetaughttocooperate.Whatisyouropini
Afieldissimplyasocialsystemofrelationsbetweenindividualsorinstitutionswhoarecompetingforthesamestake.Anexam
随机试题
生地黄的主治证是()
此时用下列哪种处理为妥病人需急症手术,下面哪一条不是护士要做的
关于PC片,下面错误的是
某乙型脑炎患者,于病程第4天入院,体温40℃,下午突然神志不清,反复抽搐,呼吸节律不规则,瞳孔两侧大小不等大,此时应采取的措施为
A.蛋白管型B.白细胞管型C.红细胞管型D.细胞管型E.脂肪管型急性药物过敏性间质性肾炎可有
温病后期,神倦痪疯,脉气虚弱,舌绛苔少,有时时欲脱之势。方剂选用
甲、乙级资质设备监理单位的经营范围()。
一架飞机从北京飞往乌鲁木齐,用3.5个小时,而从乌鲁木齐返航北京时,飞行速度不变,却只需要3小时,原因是()。
茶花(camellia)的自然花期在12月至翌年4月,以红色系为主,另有黄色系和白色系等,花色艳丽。本届花展充分展示了茶花的品种资源和科研水平,是近三年来本市规模最大的一届茶花展。为了使广大植物爱好者有更多与茶花亲密接触的机会,本届茶花展的布展范围延伸至整
SydneyOperaHousemustbeoneofthemostrecognizableimagesofthemodernworld—uptherewiththeEiffelTowerandtheEmpire
最新回复
(
0
)