Author: hfhadmin

Back in 2017, scientists created the first human-pig hybrid by growing human cells inside early-stage pig embryos. They believe that their findings could eventually save hundreds of thousands of lives.

Every grand scientific discovery is accompanied by a certain amount of skepticism and criticism, but the boldest ones often trigger controversy and opposition as well.

One such lab creation, described as an interspecies chimera, led to mixed reactions, and many people questioning the ethical implications of it.

The word chimera comes from Greek mythology, and it depicted a monstrous, fire-breathing hybrid creature of Lycia in Asia Minor, composed of the parts of more than one animal.

There are two ways to create a chimera, either by introducing the organs of one animal into another or by introducing one animal’s cells into the embryo of another at the embryonic level and let them grow together into a hybrid.

Back in 2017, scientists in the US created the first pig-human hybrid in a lab, by growing human cells inside early-stage pig embryos.

They believe that the “breakthrough” could eventually save hundreds of thousands of lives, by creating lab-grown human organs that could be transplanted into people who need them.

After injecting human stem cells into early-stage pig embryos, the embryos were transferred into surrogate sows.

The researchers waited until the first trimester, and over 150 of them developed into chimeras, with the precursors of organs, including the heart and liver. Moreover, they also had a small number of human cells.

Team member Juan Carlos Izpisua Belmonte, from the Salk Institute in California, said:

“Our findings may offer hope for advancing science and medicine by providing an unprecedented ability to study early embryo development and organ formation, as well as a potential new avenue for medical therapies.

We have shown that a precisely targeted technology can allow an organism from one species to produce a specific organ composed of cells from another species.”

Izpisua Belmonte and his team have previously performed similar experiments as well, and back in 2015, they successfully integrated human stem cells into mouse embryos, and thus demonstrated that human stem cells can develop inside other species.

Regarding the pig-human hybrid, Belmonte said:

 “The ultimate goal of chimeric research is to learn whether we can use stem-cell and gene-editing technologies to generate genetically-matched human tissues and organs, and we are very optimistic that continued work will lead to eventual success. But in the process, we are gaining a better understanding of species evolution as well as human embryogenesis and disease that is difficult to get in other ways.”

To prevent further ethical concerns, scientists terminated the hybrid embryos for the pig-human hybrid after 28 days of development.

Yet, proponents of the research argue that such experiments are important and justified, regarding the number of people dying daily while waiting for an organ transplant.

The members of the team discuss the results of their experiment in the video below:

Source: www.sciencealert.com

In February 2019, a mother in Colombia decided to commit suicide and take her son with her, after she struggled financially and lost their home.

Life is beautiful, but it can often get pretty hard, complicated, and too challenging. When one loses hope and strength to carry on, life doesn’t feel like worth living.

Every year, around 800,000 people in the world commit suicide, and suicide is the second leading cause of death in the world for people aged 15 to 24 years.

The tragic end of a mother and her 10-year old son from Colombia last year left everyone heartbroken.

On February 7, the 32-year-old single mom jumped off a 330-foot bridge while holding her little boy, taking both of their lives.

The tragedy occurred at the La Variante Bridge, in Ibagué, and people who were passing by could not react on time and save their lives. Some of them recorded and took photos of the final moments of the mother and son.

Authorities later explained that the mother, Jessy Paola Moreno Cruz, had financial problems and had just been evicted from her home.

She and her son became homeless for a while after she was no longer able to pay rent. This made her deeply depressed, and she eventually decided to end her own life and take her son with her.

According to media present at the scene, in the last moments before their death, the child was begging his mom not to jump.

Although an ambulance came quickly, all they could do was to take the bodies out of the water. Afterward, a funeral service for the mother and son was held.

Authorities explained that the mother was being threatened by loan sharks.

Before her death, she explained her reasons for her decision in a suicide letter she left behind.

It read:

“I cannot tolerate the idea that somebody could hurt you because of what I did, I prefer that we leave and forget this world. I have no hope, I have been defeated and humiliated. The man who told me he loved me left me alone, very alone. They all left me with nothing, everything I worked for, everything I lived for, all I loved, all I gave, it was snatched away in an instant.

My mistake was to trust the wrong people. I failed the person I love most in my life, I cannot afford to pay for his studies, I do not even have enough money to give him hot food. I have placed him in danger and I am sorry for failing you, son. Every day is more difficult and filled with threats, debt, and lack of love. I cannot do it anymore. I will be told I am a coward, but only God knows the distress of being terrified that someone will hurt you because of me.

If only somebody could help me, but who can lend me the money or even a home? There is nobody. The world is dangerous and I cannot protect you. Every day is grey. My heart beats with anxiety. I cry with frustration and impotence. I am a loser. This time I will not fail you, my son. Nobody will hurt us anymore.”

Sad, tragic, painful!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yuL6LdF71m4&feature=emb_title

Source: anewspost.com

A young businesswoman from Indiana got stood up and was left stranded at the airport, after flying 1,500 miles to meet her online love.

Internet and social media have revolutionized dating, that’s for sure, but this modern era comes with its own risks and challenges as well. A businesswoman learned this lesson in the hard way, unfortunately, after being was stood up by a man she’d met online seven days before.

In an attempt to meet the boy she was so interested in, she ended up stranded at an airport 1,500 miles away from her home.

Jasmine Triggs, aged 23, decided she wanted to meet a man she had been talking to online for a week, so she fled from Fort Wayne, Indiana, to Houston, Texas.

Yet, immediately when she got on the airplane, the unknown man known only by the name Jamal, blocked her phone number and left her heartbroken and stranded at the airport.

Jasmine, who owns a baking company, said that the guy asked her to come to Texas after she communicated with him for about a week.

• After meeting a man online a week ago, Jasmine Triggs, 23, decided to fly from Fort Wayne, Indiana, to Houston, Texas, to meet him

She recalls they were talking until the very same morning she left her home to meet him.

He claims he shared details about his life with her during their conversations, he told her about the school he went to, that he’d been a cheerleader, that he had a robotics company.

Jasmine says they started getting to know each other, and she really liked him, but it was also sexual. He was asking her sexual questions, adding he was anxious to see her and that he had cleaned the living room for her.

The two met each other through an iMessage group chat, and were introduced by a mutual friend who had actually never met the man in person neither.

Jasmine fled for 5 hours, spent $380 for the ticket and the moment she arrived at the airport, she tried to contact him, but her number was already blocked by him.

• The moment she entered the plane, the man blocked her number

She says :

“When I was on the plane, all my messages were sending to everyone apart from him so he’d obviously blocked me.

I didn’t hear from him all morning and once I landed, I called him, but I realized he’d blocked my number and I was panicking. People from the group chat were calling him and he blocked them as well.”

Fortunately, she managed to contact a friend who lived in the area and stayed with her for several days but she still can’t find the answer to why she was stood up at the airport. After some time, she shared her experience on Twitter to explain to people the risks of meeting up with people they’ve never met in person.

She said:

“Either he thought it was funny or he could have had a wife or girlfriend because he started saying he didn’t know me but he shouldn’t have left me at the airport.

I posted it on Twitter and it went viral so he unblocked us and came back in the chat saying he didn’t know me but everyone knew he’d asked me to go to meet him.

He had people messaging me saying they were his sister, it was just a big conundrum. I don’t even know if he does live in Texas. He has the area code but he has three different numbers.”

• These are their texts on the morning of Jasmine’s flight.

• After she arrived, Jamal left the group chat where they’d met

She advises people to FaceTime the unknown person first and make them buy the ticket if they plan to go and meet up with someone.

“I don’t believe in someone paying for everything which is why I bought my own ticket but if you’re going to see them, make sure they buy it because I’m $380 out of pocket and he’s said he was going to pay for everything when I got there.

Make sure they aren’t going to leave you there because if it wasn’t for my friend, I don’t know what I would have done.”

The tweet has garnered more than 70,000 likes and some have even offered to pay Jasmine for her plane ticket.

She said:

“A lot of people have been super kind but I’ve had the occasional troll. Guys have been hitting on me, people have been supportive and offering to pay for my ticket but people have been saying that I’m super dumb.”

Jasmine also added that after her port went viral, Jamal unblocked them all, returned to the chat, and claimed that he didn’t know her, but they all knew he had asked her to go and meet him.

Source: www.mirror.co.uk

After years of attempting to talk him out of it, one father eventually learned to accept his son’s passion and now supports him in his career as the youngest drag queen in the UK

Being a parent is the biggest blessing in life, but it comes with its own challenges. What many people fail to understand is that the role of a parent is just to guide, care for, and support, and not to create his own reflection, or someone he dreamed of becoming in life.

Fortunately, one father, Darren Butler, realized this before it became too late.

After the birth of his son Fabian, Darren took him in his arms and fantasized about his little man, the times when the two of them would play football together, thought of teaching him boxing, and everything he enjoyed in his childhood.

However, as soon as he turned eight, his son, who lives in Gwent, South Wales, abandoned all the sports and shocked his father by telling him he wants to dress up in the clothes of his mum.

Darren felt embarrassed thinking about his friends’ reactions, and tried everything he could to persuade his son to lay off his latest “phase”.

Now at the age of 11, Fabian performs as one of the youngest drag queens in the whole country, as alter ego Francheska Valley – and Darren takes him to gigs with pleasure and even helps him in his choice of outfits for his performances.

• Fabian Butler, 11, from Gwent, Wales, performs as his drag alter-ego Francheska Valley

Darren, who works as a machine operator, said:

“I was the opposite when I was younger. When you have your first boy, you have expectations. I used to box as a kid so I always hoped that he would grow up and want to pursue boxing. I would take him to play football with me and you could see that it wasn’t for him.

When he started dressing up, I was in denial, I just thought it was kids being kids at an age like that.

I just thought he was going through a phase but when I spoke to my wife about it and realized that it wasn’t a phase, I was hurt.”

• His father Darren, a machine operator, have learned to accept his passion for drag

• Fabian with his parents. He started using his mom’s makeup when he was five.

His wife talked him into going to his first performance even though he didn’t want to go. Yet, when he saw the happiness that his son was feeling on stage, he suddenly realized how much it meant to him.

This brought a tear to his eye and realized that his son can’t live his life according to the expectations and has to live his own dream.

Now, he claims he is the proudest dad in the entire world! Fabian started dressing up when he was just five-years-old, using his mum Rachel’s makeup and jewelry.

• Francheska Valley in red and gold embellished heels at home

• Fabian never wanted to follow his father’s footsteps

• Francheska Valley with blonde locks and a florescent avant-garde makeup

When he would come home from school he would tell his parents how much he admired the clothes of his teachers, and would secretly take Rachel’s clothes and try them on.

His mother, who is a cook, explained that she sees all of this as normal, as she has grown with him through it and there was no need for a formal conversation about that.

As the boy got older, she used to buy him makeup which led to a lot of arguments between her and her husband but Fabian is simply very happy wearing it.

• The mother, Rachel, explained that she argued with her husband when she first bought makeup for her son

• Darren now claims to be ‘the proudest Dad in the world’

• Fabian urges others to do what they love and adds that he is very happy for his dad’s support

Despite Fabian’s wishes, Darren signed him up to a football club when he was six, trying to involve him in sports. However, he explains that Fabian wasn’t happy, he preferred the drama club and gymnastics group.

When he tried to involve him in boxing, he replied that he doesn’t like to get his lip split. The father found it very difficult to accept it, which led to lots of arguments in the family.

• Fabian as his drag act Francheska Valley with his parents

• The talented boy became fascinated with Ru Paul’s Drag Race and started experimenting with different outfits

Rachel said:

“When he was seven, he started wearing makeup more often and Darren would tell him to take it off which would leave Fabian very upset. It caused arguments because I would say – look how good he looks! It took a while for Darren to come round to the idea of him wearing makeup.

Fabian would tell Darren that he was just doing his makeup to show him and he was so upset when Darren would tell him to take it off. Sometimes he would go and take it off but there were a lot of tears – it was frustrating for me because I could see how talented Fabian was at doing his makeup.”

• Darren was ‘taken aback’ by his son’s performance at DragCon in London

But when Darren saw Fabian’s performance with his drama club for the first time in Newbridge, he instantly realized how much talent for performing his boy possesses.

He said:

“He had his own act and performed Ariana Grande’s God is a Woman in front of 200 people on stage. He started drama club when he was nine and this was his first opportunity to perform.

I was really nervous about going but when I saw him performing, it brought a tear to my eye.”

Rachel added that Fabian’s eyes filled up with tears and he said that he is so glad his father is here to watch him.

She has advised him to show his dad what he is capable of and he went and gave an awesome performance. After the show, Darren gave him the biggest hug and there were tears of joy from both of them.

Now Fabian is enjoying his father’s full support, who even takes him shopping for new outfits.

Darren says that he is going to charity shops with him, looking for heels and jewelry, and he states that he is definitely making progress. He now gives Fabian compliments when he likes his makeup and he fully supports him.

• Fabian at age eight, into his drag alter ego, Francesca

When they went to DragCon in London in January, the father was taken aback by the number of other drag queens coming up to him and telling him how they wished they had a father who supports him in the same way he supports his son.

He claims that in this way, he understood how difficult it must have been for his son until he learned to accept his passion. There, Fabian “did a lip-sync in front of 7,000 people to a Ru Paul song and people wanted to take pictures with him.”

The boy explained that one has to know what he loves the most in life, no matter the age, and has to live in his own way.

He added that he is thrilled that his father supports him, and his favorite thing, which means a lot to him, is when his father tells him he loves him. His biggest wish was his father to support him and be proud of him, and the entire situation brought the family together.

Source: www.newsbreak.com

At the age of 88, the oldest female skydiver in the world, Dilys Price, passed away, after completing more than 1,139 solo parachute jumps.

The world has become a sadder place after the death of the oldest female skydiver, Dilys Price. During her life, the inspirational 88-year old woman had completed over 1,139 solo parachute jumps and raised tens of thousands of pounds for charity.

Back in 2013, at the age of 80, this retired teacher from Cardiff, became the Guinness World Record holder for the oldest female solo parachute jump. Her first skydive was at the age of 54, for charity, and afterward, she completed over 1,139 solo parachute jumps all over the world.

• Back in 2013, Price became the Guinness World Record holder for the oldest female solo parachute jump

• People remember her as a ‘force for good’

• She founded the charity Touch Trust for people with learning disabilities

Before her first jump, this remarkable woman was terrified of heights, but she later said that she couldn’t ‘imagine life without it’.

She had a background in dance, and she founded the charity Touch Trust, which provides creative movement programs for people with learning disabilities and other vulnerable groups.

Due to these efforts, she was awarded an OBE in 2003 for services to people with special needs.  At The Pride of Britain Awards 2017, she also received a special recognition award.

Following her death, her nephew Mark James Parry paid tribute to her on social media:

“Very very sad that my Aunt @DilysPriceOBE has passed away. She touched many with her incredible personality and truly lived life to the full.

An inspiration to all. Truly grateful that I got to call her my Aunt. We will miss you.”

• After her first skydive at the age of 54, Price completed more than 1,139 solo parachute jumps all over the world

Moreover, Cardiff Metropolitan University, where Price was an honorary fellow, called her a ‘force for good’, and wrote on Twitter:

“We’re saddened to hear of the passing of Dilys Price.

An Honorary Fellow and true friend to the University, Dilys was a force for good and an inspiration to us all. We send our condolences to the family.”

Source: newsfinale.com