Science!

Human-animal embryo study wins approval

Possibilities

PRO	CON
Represents an advance in biology	Tampers in the domain of "God" or just too much power for humans to have in general
This is really awesome!	Viruses can have a greater chance to mutate in a crossover manner in cells like this, it's really dangerous. (Source)
Learn more about what gives us conciousness, thus memory, thus the ability to learn more with each generation.	Diseases wipe out the majority of the population. Which means our species will continue on, but we will lose a lot of people and productivity. Which, from a rational viewpoint, isn't so bad, just as long as we live through it.

But from my viewpoint, our species will not exist forever, and we seem to be on a fast track of energy depletion (though solar is seeming to gain ground). I don't know how I will die, nor do most people. We all hope to live a long time, partially because we want to live through generations, partially because the idea of not being alive is horrifying. But we are increasingly consuming energy and space on our planet, and becoming more segmented and panicked. We're attacking each other more vigorously all over the globe, and especially within America (though American attacking within is more verbal than violent). We seem to be on the fast track to destruction, but we're really far off from that (this is potentially within the century, but probably further away), so we have time to slow down and increase our time, if we work together. If we work together... all of us, as equals, none of this "othering" crap.