I didn’t think those topics could be combined, but I’ve been proven wrong. No, it’s not the next hit superhero movie. One of the “perks” of being an atheist blogger is that I get signed up to all sorts of wacky mailing lists for creationists, woo peddlers, and conspiracy theorists. I suspect they think this annoys me, when really it usually goes straight to my spam folder to die with all the penis enlargement ads. But sometimes things slip through to my inbox, and sometimes their insanity is hilarious.
I present for your entertainment, “V Blast: THE BEAST REVEALS THEY CREATED GENETICALLY MODIFIED BABIES”
Those who are aware that conspiratorial practices have already wildly exceeded even the most fantastic speculations were not surprised to hear that scientists have now admitted that genetically modified babies have already been born. Although the mainstream, or the so called “ethical” medical community is now publicly acknowledging they’ve mixed genes from multiple parties to produce designer babies all the way back to the late 1990’s, the reality is genetically engineered babies were probably born as far back the 1940’s in one of Joseph Mengele’s Nazi laboratories.Generally speaking, secretive “black” science significantly precedes the allegedly legitimate version, in which the mainstream commonly lags behind by decades. In fact, the recent mainstream media exposure in the Daily Mail periodical, reignited interest in a subject which was actually covered, albeit rather quietly, years earlier.It turns out that In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) clinics have been using a technique now for years that “rejuvenates” the eggs of women who are having trouble conceiving, by injecting components of another woman’s egg. This component is called cytoplasm, and it contains the mitochondrial DNA from the donor – thus making the resultant baby the product of 3 parents – the father, and two mothers.It turns out this has been publicly known since 2001 and, by tracing the research (and the scientist who developed the technique), we learn that babies with more than 2 parents were born at least as far back as 1997. Once again, once such things go public, it virtually always means it’s been going on for quite a bit longer, and has gone much further than is generally acknowledged.
Time for a science break! It’s actually true that scientists are trying to develop methods that use a third individual’s mitochondria during IVF, but it’s not to make abominations or super babies. It’s to cure diseases caused by malfunctioning mitochondria. Mitochondria are the “powerhouse” of the cell, making lots of energy so your cells can actually function.
They also have their own genomes because they were once a separate organism! They were engulfed by another type of cell and the two formed a symbiotic relationship, and now every eukaryote (anything that’s not bacteria or archaea) has mitochondria. Mitochondria are passed from mother to child, not father to child. This is because egg cells have the room to store mitochondria, but sperm don’t.
So if you have a disease that’s caused by a mutation in the mitochondrial genome, you could technically suck out all the “defective” mitochondria and replace them with “healthy” mitochondria from another person. And people are going nuts at the ethics around this, because yes, technically you’d have a third genetic “parent.” If you want to learn more, read this great article in The Guardian.
For instance, there is nothing to indicate these maniacs have stopped at 3 parents, as they could have, theoretically, added the cytoplasm of a dozen women – each selected for what are perceived as desirable characteristics – i.e. blue eyes from mom #4, physical speed and agility from gymnast mom #5, a very high IQ from mom #6, and so forth.
Yeah, theoretically you could add all sorts of mitochondria. But mitochondrial genomes are tiny and don’t really contribute to any distinguishing traits. Things like eye color would still be determined by nuclear DNA (the ones egg and sperm contribute to).
To put it another way, this is the stuff the Nephilim were made of.
I’m not even going to touch that.
What happens if they try to splice in the mitochondria of another father is anyone’s guess, but such outcomes could look like something out of a horror film. And it gets worse.
Actually, nothing different would happen if you took the mitochondria from a man. The only reason mitochondria are transfered maternally is because eggs have the room to do so. There are rare examples of mitochondria being transmitted paternally, with no real consequences.
Now we’ve learned the key research embryologist who pioneered this technique left the fertility clinic work he was doing, and was hired by a US military medical institution. This chilling fact begs the question, is there anyone who seriously doubts the military establishment will seek to engineer a super-soldier, and will not be deterred by any of those messy moral or ethical considerations?Christian Media, the ministry which fields the V Channel output such as the V Blast Internet letter, the Eclipse printed periodical, and the Exotica TV and radio show, has previously produced material on the efforts to create robo-soldier. In what looks like a Marvel Comics fiction, hardly anyone knows military scientists have already succeeded in growing (with spider DNA) a dense, Kevlar like compound, directly into the skin of solders, so they can withstand a bullet wound (see the Exotica TV episode on the subject).
Military scientists are talking about using spider silk to make structures that are stronger than Kevlar…but they can hardly hardly make enough with the current technology, and they definitely haven’t started breeding genetically modified soldiers. We don’t have that technology. We hardly understand how spider silk production works.
With such efforts, one can only wonder if these madmen will eventually produce a modern version of the mothman, replete with wings that can quietly transport the organic killing machine behind enemy lines. Furthermore, it is certain the Biblical prophets described just what is occurring.
Oddly this was probably the paragraph that offended my brain cells the most. Mothman? Not…you know, Spiderman? I…I just don’t understand why they wouldn’t go with the obvious if they were going to invoke genetically modified superheroes.
For instance, the prophet Joel described military men that were unstoppable in very scary terms:“a great people and a strong: there hath not been ever the like…A fire devoureth before them; and behind them a flame burneth…and nothing shall escape them. The appearance of them is as the appearance of horses [centaurs]; and as horsemen, so shall they run. “They shall run like mighty men; they shall climb the wall like men of war; they shall march every one on his way, and they shall not break their ranks: Neither shall one thrust another; they shall walk every one in his path: and when they fall upon the sword, they shall not be wounded” (Joel 2:2-8)For those unfamiliar with the prophetic texts, the manipulation of genetics is a primary theme found in the numerous descriptions of the end of the age. Jesus Christ said the last generation would be “…as it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man” (Luke 17:26)The primary description of the days of Noah was focused on what is sometimes called the “first incursion,” wherein the fallen angels tampered with the genetics of men and women, and the offspring became “mighty men” – a population which was quickly catapulted into leadership within the old world order.The book of Genesis tells us the whole world was “corrupt” and the LORD saw nothing but “violence” everywhere, so He purposed to destroy the world (Genesis Chapter 6). This is what Jesus used as a template for the last generation – a time of massive destruction, preceded by violence and genetic manipulation.When coupled with the descriptions of world war, famine, and pestilence, to say nothing of the massive fraud of the so called pre-tribulation “rapture” in which millions of deceived believers “know not” that they are about to be “taken away” to the grave in a violent judgment (Matthew 24:39), this tribulational devastation could occur at any moment.
— James Lloyd
Jesus blah blah blah.
The only other thing worth highlighting is their unique instruction on how to remove yourself from their mailing list:
Of course, if you have been convinced Christians should never send an Email to someone without permission (Did the Disciples of Jesus ask people for permission to tell them the Good News?), then we will cheerfully delete your name from our database.
Woah, gettin’ a little defensive there. Of course I want to stay subscribed! I love getting a good laugh at conspiracy theorists with no solid grasp of science.
Three parents? That’s nothing. I have eight great-grandparents. Clearly, I am an abomination.
No super powers, unfortunately, but I do have a pretty big nose.
The Daily Mail.
Beloved by swivel-eyed foil-hat wearers everywhere.
Those three words, cited as a source, automatically invalidate any statement or position. Vile, filthy, fascist rag.
Don’t dismiss the Nephilim. The products of the daughters of men and the sons of God (angels), the Nephilim were the “badasses of old”, but were such an abomination that they are the proximate reason for the flood (not sin, as Christians state…read the Bible, it doesn’t mention sin, just Nephilim).
The nutbag may have meant this mothman:
http://www.prairieghosts.com/moth.html
not this one:
http://watchmen.wikia.com/wiki/Byron_Lewis
but funny either way. ;)
LOL I love those nutballs. Jen(and anyone else for that matter), have you been to timecube.com? I think he’s the king nutball.
http://www.arachne.org.au/01_cms/details.asp?ID=1654
(Warning: contains huge spiders)
Or he could of meant this mothman.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_%28The_Tick%29
Wait, if “A fire devoureth before them; and behind them a flame burneth” wouldn’t the mothmen fly into the fire and burn up?
Omg! People on the internet are talking about the stuff I research! SQUEEEEE!
So, I’m a Master’s student and I work in a mitochondrial lab at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. I geek out about this stuff because it’s a really really REALLY cool possible application of mitochondrial research.
We use cell lines in our lab that were derived using a method similar to this, called cybridization. In short, you get your nucleus from one cell, and your mitochondria from another. In the lab, it gives us an advantage because we can study mitochondrial mutations on a “neutral nuclear background,” meaning that we are absolutely sure there are no nuclear mutations confounding our results, and we can trust that any changes we see are due entirely to the mitochondrial mutation we’re interested in.
As an application in in-vitro fertilization, it’s exciting for the reasons Jen mentioned: women who carry serious mitochondrial diseases can avoid passing it on to their children by using a mitochondrial donor. And yes, in essence the child would have three parents, but the third parent is not contributing to physical characteristics at all – for all the reasons Jen explained above. The mitochondrial DNA only encodes about 14 proteins, all of which are involved in bioenergetic processes in the mitochondria (if you want more detail, google “oxidative phosphorylation” or “electron transport chain.”)
But of course we are decades off from being able to use cybridization safely in any clinical procedures, let alone IVF, which would have MASSIVE health implications for the child.
I’m not sure I agree entirely with the assessment that sperm “can’t carry enough mitochondria.” Actually, the little flagellum on the end of the sperm uses up a ton of ATP and requires a colony of mitochondria tightly wound around its base in order to keep it running. It was determined in cow embryos that when the sperm fertilizes the egg, the egg attacks and destroys the paternal mitochondria, ensuring 100% maternal inheritance of mtDNA (mitochondrial DNA). I have a citation for this, but it’s back at the lab. If there’s further interest, I can cite the paper in another comment tomorrow when I’m at work.
Sorry, I geek out SO MUCH when people talk about stuff I know about on the internet. Especially because I love this blog, and I rarely feel like I can contribute. Anyway, yay science!! ^_^
But how can these conspiracy theorists miss the motives of the evil scientists when they have ALL the evidence right there?
Mitochondria is the scientific code name of Midichlorians — the intracellular symbionts that connect all living beings (or maybe just eukaryotes?) to the Force, with the ability to use the Force directly proportional to one’s Midichlorian count! (It’s all conclusively proven in the historical documentaries of science filmmaker G. Lucas, including the research results of renowned Force experts Q.G. Jinn and O.W. Kenobi.)
It’s obvious that the aim of these military cytoplasm transfers (and really, doesn’t cytoplasm sound awfully similar to ectoplasm?) is to increase the concentration of mitochondria in the egg, so as to create Force-sensitive super-soldiers: Jedi clone-troopers.
That’s how God killed them.
Also, with lots of insect spray.
These beauties live in my back yard. And in the trees on my way to work. And in the power lines.
The more ambitious specimens live in the uni car park and build their net between the pillars and the car door while the driver’s away… students are tasty.
I think there’s a rule on the internet that states, the deeper you dive into it, the more likely that you’ll see any number of random shit you can think of combined into one post.
Must be awesome knowing your work is not only hope for future mothers, but a nightmare for conspiracy theorists. :D
Wait, how the hell did I miss out on e recruiting message for this super soldier program? Goddamnit! That’s what happens when you don’t check your official email account for long enough I guess.
Seriously though, stuff like this cracks me up, and should do so for anyone who knows anything about e Department of Defense. It’s not some super-devious monolithic machine. We’re actually pretty middle-of-the-road when it comes to competncy. Hell, we can’t even get our camouflage, body armor, or rifles right, but yet we can quietly engineer Soldiers with super-skin.
Ugh, competency*. I need to stop writing comments out on the iPad.
It’s stuff like this that I like to point to when I hear ignorant people comparing about funding “pure science” as if it’s a waste of money.
Awesome work!
This is hilarious. I love mitochondria — if you think about it too hard, it’s really quite freaky! Man, we’d be boned if what are basically other organisms in all of our cells stopped working. Think about that one real hard!
I’ll have to come back and check out all your links. Good stuff.
Did you get the email from Christian Media Network? Because if you did, then this is the correct James Lloyd:
http://www.christianmedianetwork.com/index.php?page=aboutus.html
I refuse to make snarky comments about his appearance, but I do find it notable that he believes himself to have the “gift of prophecy.” So you should feel honored because this isn’t just any crazy, this guy is prophetic crazy.
Awwwwwwwww :3
But the frightening efficiency at funneling taxpayer dollars into offshore bank accounts of “contractors” smooths out the average?
From the article you linked to: “The species name means edible, Labillardière applied the name after he observed people in New Caledonia eating this spider.”
Students aren’t tasty, spiders are.
What I got from reading your post:
“We use cell lines in our lab that were derived using a method similar to this, called cybridization”
You’re making Cylons?!?
Evidently. ;)
The first time I heard the name “Nephilim” it was in the context of a fantasy RPG (Avernum) where it referred to a species of cat-people.
That makes rants like these much more fun to read.
There’s a fascinating popular science* treatment of mitochondria: Nick Lane’s Power, Sex, Suicide: Mitochondria and the Meaning of Life.
*But by a real scientist.
Amazing that the Nazis could do genetic engineering without knowing the DNA molecule.
These guys and gals are going to absolutely shit in their pants if they ever find out about the hamster egg assay.
Irony!
Well they had to have something to do on their moonbase.
It was a brilliant and yet tragically flawed plan, called operation Homo Lepidoptera. In the 1960, in a attempted to beat back the red tide that was swallowing eastern Europe and Asia, the US military complex tried to create the perfect super-soldier. The combined the fightiness of the fear Asia Gypsy Moth, the the durability of the European Corn Borer, and for a splash of flare the added some Madagascar Sunset Moth. All seemed to be going well, until their first mission. It was to disable the nuclear weapons plan near Chernobyl. The first stage was wildly successful, but unfortunately all of the mothmen super-soldiers were lured to their deaths by the resulting fireball. They just couldn’t resist.
Later, funding for the project was stopped as a republican senator thought the project was to support the gay lifestyle among butterflies.
Was thinking the same thing myself…Personally, I think the world would likely be a better place if it had technology capable cats in it.
Tee Hee.
It’s a conjunction (portmanteau?) of “cytoplasm” and “hybrid.” They are cytoplasmic hybrids. So that’s…. almost as cool as cylons? Possibly?
Thank you!
I love, love, LOVE basic research. Obviously applied research is super turbo important and does really awesome, life-saving stuff. But personally I just find basic research to be so much more fascinating.
Your comment made me feel all warm and fuzzy ^_^
THANK YOU I AM BUYING THIS.
God, I am such a mito geek.
Hahahah and I didn’t even know until now!! Doin’ my part for humanity… I guess?
oo, they look like jewelry.
Big, crawly, bitey, hairy-legged jewelry. That will eat your pets.
Hrm…
Is it wrong that when you said “back at the lab” I got an image of you in a cape and goggles with “mt” emblazoned across the chestplate of your super sciencey uniform? *grin*
Mitochondria? Pfffththt!
Gimme chloroplasts, too!
I’m gonna sit out and photosynthesize my ass off!
Just keep your damn cabbage moths away from me!
Is it bad that my biggest thrill in this whole post was seeing “this is the stuff the Nephilim were made of.”? Nephilim is one of my gaming usernames, and a few friends still call me Neph. I feel so special and superpowered now.
They used the Tesseract that they got in the Captain America movie, obviously!
*eyeroll*
That’s nothing. King Sebastian of Portugal only had four great-grandparents.
Jeff Foxworthy joked that “you might be a redneck if your family tree does not fork.” That’s also true for royals.
Oh. My. God.
I NEED TO GO BUY A CAPE NOW.
I need a super hero name. Mito-Chick? Science Girl?
THISISWHYILOVETHEINTERNET.
Losers … going after Mothmen. He is a fine enough chap but they could produce The Tick. An army of indestructible, but not very bright, soldiers would be every general’s dream.
Spooooooon.