[TransformerRobot]

Is it possible for humans to successfully mate and reproduce with apes? Or are we too genetically far apart?

We see this kind of thing all the time in works of fiction, done for the sake of drama or humor, but when I think about how apes and humans are both primates it makes me wonder if such a thing would be possible.

Then again it might be a bad idea since we're the only civilized and sentient species on this planet, so it might be a bad idea.

Probably would only work in fiction with only anthropomorphized animals and no humans.

[Moontanman]

I have asked this question before, no good answer, it's for sure that simply mating wouldn't do it, but could it be done in a lab? I see no reason to do such a thing but one way to think of it, a horse and donkey can be mated the offspring is in many ways superior to either parent.... Kinda scary to think about...

[TransformerRobot]

The world is dangerously overpopulated as it is, so the only reason I can think of doing such a thing between a human and an ape is for science. The best part? If it doesn't work, we'll know it doesn't work. We all fear the unknown, so when the unknown becomes known we no longer can fear it.

[Delta1212]

Moontanman, on 5 February 2012 - 05:03 AM, said:

I have asked this question before, no good answer, it's for sure that simply mating wouldn't do it, but could it be done in a lab? I see no reason to do such a thing but one way to think of it, a horse and donkey can be mated the offspring is in many ways superior to either parent.... Kinda scary to think about...

Except, of course, for being sterile which is pretty much the most inferior an organism can be from an evolutionary standpoint without actually being dead.

[TransformerRobot]

Well, I just got back from watching a National Geographic look at the possibilities of Humanzees/Chumans, and now I have my doubts of that form of interbreeding, despite chimps being our closest living relatives.

There was even that famous chimp in the 1970s who people thought was a humanzee because of his physical abilities, but it turned out he was a full chimp.

Now I don't know what the ethical boundaries would be for this, but what if the chimp had human blood injected into it's own respiratory system? Oh, right, it'd be somewhat different from chimp blood, which could lead to an internal conflict in the bloodstream.

I'm not too good with this sort of science since I know more about machines than organisms.

[ewmon]

TransformerRobot, on 5 February 2012 - 01:42 AM, said:

Is it possible for humans to successfully mate and reproduce with apes? ...
Then again it might be a bad idea

Apart from the actual breeding itself, the possibility of such offspring would raise serious legal and moral/ethical concerns (again, not "moral" in the religious sense).

• Why would anyone want a extremely strong, hairy, half-wild half-breed human? If we wanted half breeds, we should be breeding "up" — space aliens, celestial creatures (such as "angels"), etc.
  
• What rights would they have? Human rights, animal rights, a mixture of the two, or something totally new?
  
• What purpose would they serve, except to prove that it could be done? Certainly it would be unethical to use them to work in environments dangerous to humans or for menial labor that would be "beneath" humans.
  
• Aren't our mental institutions full of individuals that cannot be integrated into mainstream society? They would probably need to be kept in an institution — maybe part lab, part hospital and part zoo. Civilization is leaning away from such environments for animals, so we certainly wouldn't want to do this to half humans.
  
• Would such individuals have a soul? Not religiously, but in the same sense that human cloning is banned, that the cloned person might not have a unique individuality unto him/herself. What would we do with individuals who aren't really human or are so "unnaturally" created?
  
• What parental rights would the chimp parent have toward the offspring? Think about it. Strange.

[TransformerRobot]

Again, the only reason I could think of doing such a thing is for science.

Or what about like in that story called Extinctioners?

"The humanoid animals on the planet Alden, or humanimals, were genetic constructs created by humans for the purpose of avoiding having animals become extinct on an overpopulated Earth, with the idea that more humanoid animals would be able to better adapt to the changing reduction to their natural environments and increased pollution."

Could be an alternative option if we can't reduce enough CO2 emissions and/or regrow enough forests and wetlands.

Then we'd be able to safely interbreed with them without risks to the offspring.

As for the civil rights aspect of the situation we'd have to call it "Sentient Rights" instead of "Human Rights" so it would make more sense. Not much effort required to change the term if you ask me.

Also, humans are animals too. We eat, make waste, have flesh and blood, communicate, and reproduce with each other. How does that not sound like an animal?

This post has been edited by TransformerRobot: 6 February 2012 - 04:33 PM

[Andrew blue]

I suppose animal/ape hybrids could be "supper soldiers" though the idea of armies of well organized, supper strong, armed beings is in bad taste. What if we are not able to controle them, they would ask for rights, fight for them, and of course we might not get along. Makes for good scifi though.

[John Cuthber]

"Is it possible for humans to successfully mate and reproduce with apes? "
Yes, of course it is.
It happens all the time.



(of course, the ape concerned has to be another human)

[TransformerRobot]

Well for this idea I have no more ideas. Guess it wouldn't work for real after all.