UK scientific teams are currently on their way to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority this month to request for licences to start creating embryos in their laboratories. This concept is not new and many are already familiar with the products of such endeavors, which include the so-called test tube babies. What makes this new undertaking a tad strange though, is the fact that these scientists want to create embryos that are 99.9% human and 0.1% rabbit.

Yes. Rabbits. As in the little furry animal with floppy ears, a cottony tail, and cute whiskers, which likes to hop about and has been known to have a fondness for carrots.

And why do they want to make this chimera-like "Frankenbunny"? The scientists are hoping that by fusing human and rabbit cells, they will be able to find breakthroughs that could lead to a cure to Alzheimer's disease or spinal cord injury. They're also pretty much planning to practice their stem cell creation techniques without having to work with actual human egg cells. By perfecting such techniques, they are hoping to reassure egg cell donors that stem cells will be successfully harvested from their donations, which in turn will go on to save lives.

One thing to note about the human-rabbit embryos, however, is that they will be allowed to grow for only 14 days when they are merely the size of a pinhead, before being destroyed, and this may lead to many arguments regarding the morality of such actions since it may still be considered as taking a life. However, many are wary that their very intention to cross humans and animals may once again upset authorities such as the Vatican. This remains to be seen.

Furthermore, the issue also brings overactive imaginations astray, as many are playing with various "what if" scenarios in their heads, in which every scenario involves one such half-breed embryo being snuck away into a secret lab, and allowed to develop to completion.

Hmm...