Insane. My husband received a tendon donation from someone earlier this year, so this really makes me think! Also has the making for a great thriller. 😛
The guy in this story received a bone marrow transplant, so perhaps a donated tendon wouldn’t have the same effect. But who knows.
Yes, definitely lots of potential for thrillers. They are already thinking about the staggering implications for forensic police work, but it could also affect paternity tests, genealogy, possibly even archaeology if transplants were ever done in ancient times …
So, did any of their physical features change as a result? Or are they expected to? If this person had a child would they resemble to donor rather than the father?
I don’t think the recipient’s physical features changed. We’ve been doing organ transplants for a long time and they don’t have that effect. The only reason we even noticed that this man’s DNA changed was because he happened to have a friend who suggested he get a battery of samples tested before and after.
Whether the recipient’s children would resemble the donor is an interesting question and I’ll bet nobody knows. As I understand it, we have a very imperfect understanding of how genes work out in real life. (Remember Hugh Ross’s sheep pair that turned out to have more genetic variety within them than expected.) But, I do wonder whether the recipient’s children would show up as someone else’s children on a paternity test, or whether they would grow up and come to believe they are adopted …
Another question is whether this effect will last, or decline over time …
I heard about this story! It’s sparked a ton of discussion in my lab. Really interesting implications!
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I’ll say! Seems to turn everything on its head …
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Wow this is fascinating- I love that they use the term chimera!
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Insane. My husband received a tendon donation from someone earlier this year, so this really makes me think! Also has the making for a great thriller. 😛
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The guy in this story received a bone marrow transplant, so perhaps a donated tendon wouldn’t have the same effect. But who knows.
Yes, definitely lots of potential for thrillers. They are already thinking about the staggering implications for forensic police work, but it could also affect paternity tests, genealogy, possibly even archaeology if transplants were ever done in ancient times …
LikeLiked by 1 person
So, did any of their physical features change as a result? Or are they expected to? If this person had a child would they resemble to donor rather than the father?
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Yes! Those are exactly the questions.
I don’t think the recipient’s physical features changed. We’ve been doing organ transplants for a long time and they don’t have that effect. The only reason we even noticed that this man’s DNA changed was because he happened to have a friend who suggested he get a battery of samples tested before and after.
Whether the recipient’s children would resemble the donor is an interesting question and I’ll bet nobody knows. As I understand it, we have a very imperfect understanding of how genes work out in real life. (Remember Hugh Ross’s sheep pair that turned out to have more genetic variety within them than expected.) But, I do wonder whether the recipient’s children would show up as someone else’s children on a paternity test, or whether they would grow up and come to believe they are adopted …
Another question is whether this effect will last, or decline over time …
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