Why is it in the News?

In a recent landmark study, scientists reported successfully generating a live chimaera in non-human primates

About Chimaeras:

• A genetic chimaera is a single organism made up of cells from more than one distinct genotype (or genetic makeup).
• Examples of varying degrees of chimerism exist in the animal kingdom.
• For instance, the half-sider budgerigar, a common pet parakeet, displays different colors on each side of its body due to chimerism.
• In anglerfish, the male fuses with the female, eventually being absorbed, creating a single animal with a merged genetic makeup.
• Marine sponges are known to have up to four distinct genotypes in one organism.
• In humans, natural chimaeras occur when the genetic material in one cell changes, leading to a clonal population of cells different from the rest.
• Fusion of two fertilized zygotes early in embryonic development can result in a condition where two genetic makeups coexist in a single individual.
• Chimerism can also arise from twin or multiple pregnancies evolving into a single fetus or a twin fetus being absorbed into a singleton.