Does Humanity Have a Right to Use Myostatin Biochemical Pathway to Play God, Create Super-humans and Super-animals?
As humanity progresses through this century, one of the telling factors of our societal achievement will be marked by how we decide to use our scientific ability. Of all fields in science, one of the most exciting -and controversial- has been the once burgeoning and now robust field of genetics. With our mastery of the human genome and growing success in genetic manipulation, we will have to decide if, when and where to place limits on many aspects of genetics.
One of the conditions that has intrigued many scientists, most notably over the past decade, involves a condition known as myostatin-related muscle hypertrophy, or simply, double muscle. The two most well known cases, both documented and reported upon earlier this year, involve Wendy the Bully Whippet and Liam Hoekstra, the Superkid who can punch holes in walls and perform Olympian feats. While reading the profiles and a bit more on double muscle, keep in mind the question of limits and how you think science should proceed in these cases.
Superdogs and Double Muscle
Meet Wendy, the bully Whippet. As you may know, she has a muscular mutation that results in extremely bulked muscles. While Wendy would probably beat you up for trying to put her in a puppy purse or ridiculous dog tutu, she has displayed incredible feats of agility, speed and strength. Her genetic condition, again, known as myostatin related muscle hypertrophy, or more simply, double-muscle, has given her these super-abilities.
Through a two base-pair deletion in the whippet myostatin gene (MSTN), and a subsequent rejection of myostatin by muscle cells, Wendy has very fast muscle growth and repair, at levels where she has quickly grown up to hulking proportions.
The increased muscle mass, along with metabolism and extremely low levels of body fats, can translate to impressive super-feats, including the marked increases in speed, agility and power.
As documented by quantitative assay, whippets with this mutation seem to be consistently superior in racing events to their “wild-type” counterparts.
As you may already be thinking, a dog with genetically documented and known super-speed? Clearly this does and will raise major ethical concern in terms of dog breeding, as it may also within humans as we continue to learn and master the workings of our own genome.
Double muscle is still a condition under recent scientific scrutiny and testing, only having been adequately surveyed in humans since the year 2000.
Double Muscle In Humans
“Jaw-dropping strength. Breath-taking speed. Phenomenal agility. Olympian feats.”
With origins and abilities worthy of fitting a comic book hero, these are words that reporters and doctors have used to describe Liam Hoekstra. The thing is this: Liam is only a toddler.
Born only 21 months ago, Liam came into the world with many birth defects. He had a small hole in his heart, enlarged kidneys, frequently vomited and was born four weeks premature. Medical records indicated that his biological father was “unusually strong”.
Due to conditional circumstance, Liam was adopted at birth by the Hoekstra family.
Little did the family know that they were adopting a child with a very rare and special genetic condition.
The Hoekstras quickly began to notice Liam being able to do things out of the ordinary. Two days after birth, he was able to fully stand-up and support his own weight, given someone held his hands. Months later he began developing ripped abs, naturally doing pull-ups, inverted sit-ups, Olympic styled iron cross, thigh muscles compared to that of Lance Armstrong and even punching holes into walls during tantrums (accidentally gave his Mom a black eye once as well).
What really amazed his family was what happened whenever he fell.
“When he fell backward, he would land on his butt, but he never hit his head on the ground,” , his adoptive mother, Dana Hoekstra said. “His stomach would tense up and he would catch himself before his head hit the ground. You could see his stomach muscles. He had a little six-pack,” said Dana, in an interview.
After further investigation into Liam’s ability, doctor’s found he was genetically unique as he has a condition called myostatin related muscle hypertrophy.
In Liam’s case, his body’s muscles reject myostatin, allowing them to undergo quick growth and repair.
What does that entail, exactly?
Liam can expect to have up to 50% more muscle mass than average, ridiculous levels of strength, fast metabolism, and hardly any body fat. His mother mentions, “Liam has never had any body fat…the only fat he has is in his cheeks.”
Myostatin-related muscle hypertrophy (”double muscle”) is a condition that is still somewhat new to scientific scrutiny, and as mentioned until 2000, was not adequately documented as occurring in humans. Before this time, the best known example was that from ridiculously buff Belgian Blue cattle, a picture of which is below.
The biggest concern right now for the Hoekstra family is keeping Liam fed and at ideal weights. With his enlarged muscles and super-fast metabolism, odds are he can probably down his fair share of giant steaks.
Humanity Future
Like all cases we’ll be looking at as more mutations occur within the human genome over time, whether naturally occurring or knowingly induced, there is a philosophical question that will remain at the fore. How much do we tinker with nature?
As it stands, there are many good things that can come about from genetic manipulation.
Today we have the ability to turn genes on and off, to up-regulate and down-regulate expression, or even use complex strategy to manipulate cascades along biochemical pathways, affecting expression. In short, this means we can alter many things within the body, including myostatin regulation. In laboratory conditions, double muscle has been induced within mice, and it is only a matter of time until there are enough data to significantly state inducing increased muscle expression in humans, among other things, is safe.
As related to current needs, developing foods that contain increased nutrients (some that would not even naturally occur) comes to mind as a pressing issue that should be persued. But as for genetic manipulation, within our own bodies, for no more than cosmetic purposes or to give “an edge” in life, is there a limit we should set as being too much?
We are still infants in terms of the universal space-time. The universe if infinite and in our 6,000 years of existance, we’ve barely scratched the surface of knowledge and understanding of our immediate surroundings. Delving into the microscopic world of genetics, a world that absolutely dictates our bodies and our future, is dangerous ground. When must humanity realize we are only that: humans?
These are important questions, and within most of your lifetimes, you’ll have to address these issues with your votes and even conversations with peers. It’s important to start thinking about these things now, as science and politics will progress, and you may find yourself with an army of Liam Hoekstra clones goose-stepping down your streets.
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Author: Mike Watson
Intrepid, bold and dashing, Mike Watson's investigative reporting prowess is only outdone by his burning desire to restore conservative values and morality to America. With a unique penchant for purity, Mike Watson's TV, Radio and writing inspire millions to know the truth behind American culture. Also on Facebook
12:15 am
hmmm i really have no idea what to think of this article I’ll be back in a few hours after i do some research
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12:24 am
Mt. Ida is a great place to get a degree in a few hours. You can then print and color it yourself.
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1:37 pm
Actually it takes no less than two years to get a degree.
P.S. Haven’t we been over this? You have no right to make fun of my education considering how you have the worst language skills of anyone on here. You’re also too stupid to know that the dollar sign comes BEFORE the number, not after! Are your professors aware that you thought that?
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1:43 pm
Is it true you have to pay an extra 5$ to have them print your diploma for you? Or is that “dolars five?”
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1:45 pm
wow, you are a moron. It has, is, and always will be dollar sign then number. This is something you learn in fir-oh right, you never went to school. I forgot.
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1:49 pm
Ok, do you drive Mi5 to work?
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1:51 pm
What is Mi5? British Intelligence?
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1:52 pm
You’re a fucking moron, Dracula.
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1:55 pm
And as usual, the fucking moron omits an l from the word “dollars”.
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2:02 pm
I called the English department at Harvard and spoke to a Graduate assistant. There is no firm rule about putting the $ sign before or after. And to be technical he said both is incorrect as you should spell the word “dollars” if you are composing for an environment where you expect to be graded or judged.
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2:06 pm
What the fuck does that last bit even mean?
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2:08 pm
Hah! My ass you called Harvard!
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2:14 pm
I did only because I know you trust Harvard. I tried Mt Ida first.
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2:17 pm
So, who was this “guy from Harvard” that you called? If it is a real person I am sure that we would be able to find out if you really called them.
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2:25 pm
I think he said Robert. Call 617-495-2533. Tell the nice lady that answers that you want to talk to the same Graduate asst that someone called and talked to at 2:53PM today.
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2:27 pm
Auggie, I take your silence as proof that you don’t know anyone.
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2:27 pm
Yeah, I don’t think ANY of us believe you.
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2:30 pm
Do you realize how many graduate assistants they probably had on phones at 2:53 PM today?
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2:35 pm
Damion must have went one of those liberal schools where there is no grading or expectations made of the students because it might hurt their “self esteem.”
My friends in Christ, note how the liberal education system is breeding emosexuals.
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2:41 pm
Oh, Cassidy, you sweet naive little girl. I am still in college, and will be for the next 2 years. It is an online school with many different degrees available. We get grade, like all schools, on the A-F scale, with A being the highest, and F being the lowest. I am not sure where you went to school, or when, but I am pretty sure that no place actually does what you are saying they do. So, now, please pull your head out of your ass and speak like a normal person. From your mouth.
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2:42 pm
1 claire, she had to track him down. She was very Nice.
What silence DB? I also just got through to Princeton and they confirmed the Harvard opinion. I think you need to stop questioning me and look for answers yourself.
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2:44 pm
I think you and your girlfriend Cassidy there should fuck each other in front of Blanche so that she can have at least a little fun while her husband is fucking the Mexican maid.
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2:57 pm
You seem to be gender confused. Have you ever seen a woman with a full beard and moustache? I would think that you would have keener eyesight since they glow in the dark but I must admit that I’m not up to speed on the physical traits of emosexual trolls in this day in age.
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3:04 pm
Is there a reason you capitalized “nice”?
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3:05 pm
Well Cassidy DOES tend to be a girl’s name, so it seems like you’re the one who is confused.
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3:08 pm
So , Cassidy, you see how bad it feels being called a Girl? Well, then get used to it cause that’s what you are. And yes, in fact I have seen a girl with full beard and mustache. You. And the sideshow freaks. But that’s you anyways so it doesn’t make a difference.
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3:13 pm
I don’t hate women; I’m just pointing out facts. Of course, when emosexuals are concerned, it’s much like talking to a wall.
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3:17 pm
Cassidy, again, quit being such a naive little bitch. You’re a girl, you know you are, and you’re just too ashamed to admit it. Trust me, I’m sure that the idiots in the “fellowship of the rings” will be happy to have another whiny little bitch bleeding from her vag every 3 weeks. you can even go join Blanche in the kitchens and cook up some nice, raw, Ebola infested steaks.
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2:11 pm
Its ok Claire, he doesn’t know anything anyway. He cant hurt anyone with his inability to think, only himself.
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5:02 pm
hmm claire for the $ its actually depend I always put it after In Canada we put it after not before
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5:15 pm
Mil-li is correct. Claire has been making a fool out of herself for years about this issue.
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5:19 pm
Actually Auggie, in America, where we do everything the wrong way, we put the dollar sign before the number. Just saying.
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5:21 pm
Millennium is correct FOR CANADA, but here in America we put the $ BEFORE the number. The only fool here is you.
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6:28 pm
Claire, I learned life in the school of hard knocks. Maybe someday you’ll graduate, too.
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6:48 pm
So that’s why you are a complete moron when it comes to writing. Thanks for the ammunition.
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9:34 am
What are you even talking about? You’re going to attack decent conservative christians at every turn because it’s in your nature as a homogay emosexual. You’ve proven it countless times with unprovoked insults and attempted smears of the righteous reporters and journalists at the Chris†Wire and it confounds me. You choose to troll a Godly website when most emosexuals are content to warp their brains on the abundance of vile pornography, emo music on the youtuber and violent seizure initiating games on the internet to stare at while drugged beyond all sense of reality and reason.
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12:46 pm
Well, Cassidy, I only attack those that make false claims. Since that seems to be all of the christwire crew, I can only do so much.
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3:30 pm
do you not know what research is? and from what i found using google and bing these two do exist and its caused by a copied gene.
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12:19 am
Well, good, I look forward to your opinion.
I think we’re being far too haughty in the fields of genetics and pharmaceuticals.
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12:20 am
I can’t wait to hear what Dr. Claire, MD has to say on this subject!
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12:26 am
Oh, wow, I did not know Claire was a doctor as well. Do you know what field of medicine she is in?
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6:30 pm
I believe Claire specializes in fur balls and pitbull excrement.
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1:54 pm
You realize that it’s either “Dr. Name” or “Name, MD”, right? You can’t use both.
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2:49 pm
People use both all the time. People can Be MD’s DVM’s PhD’s etc…. All Doctors, none the same.
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3:02 pm
You fucking idiot. I meant that if you’re going to put MD, DVM, PhD, AFTER your name then you’re not supposed to put Dr. BEFORE it. It’s either Dr. Deborah Williams or Deborah Williams, MD. You’re not supposed to use both because it’s repetitive and just sounds funny.
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3:43 pm
Claire, when my wife attends a conference, people introduce themselves often as Dr Name DVM.
As many conferences or trade shows cater to multiple professions it helps distinguish profession and degree. For example, some pharmacists are doctors and some aren’t. It depends on the year they graduated.
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4:13 pm
And you let your wife attend conferences…why? It seems awfully hypocritical of you to let her do such things, since you’re opposed to women voting, working, etc.
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10:22 pm
You’re a M.D., Claire?
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3:09 pm
Auggie, a DMV is the Department of Motor Vehicles. You cant be a DMV unless you are a building.
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3:09 pm
Ok, I will admit I read that wrong. Sorry.
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3:25 pm
ya this print can confuse the eyes can’t it
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3:44 pm
L.O.L DB.
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3:55 pm
Ye, sry bout that one Auggie. It was my fault for reading so fast. I do that a lot.
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6:51 pm
People make mistakes, its funny. Good for you.
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7:06 pm
Double muscles? I mean, Double? Really?
Thats a lot of extra muscle, and no stems cells involved as far as I can tell.
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10:53 pm
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