Sue Wu submitted, created time 6 months 3 hours (www.timesonline.co.uk)

The House of Commons has defeated a bill that would have banned the creation of so-called hybrid embryos—part human and part animal—for medical research. That means scientists who obtain proper licenses will be allowed to create hybrid embryos by transferring DNA from human cells into animal eggs that have had most of their genetic information removed. The embryos would then be grown in a laboratory and their stem cells would be harvested for up to 14 days, after which they would be destroyed. Opponents call the process unethical and unnatural; supporters say the embryos could aid the understanding of genetic defects and diseases like Parkinson’s.

Keywords: politics ova stem cells parkinson's law embryos hybrid animal-hybrid embryos