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A mythical beast

2007; Springer Nature; Volume: 8; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1038/sj.embor.7400918

1469-3178

Howard Wolinsky,

Fetal and Pediatric Neurological Disorders

A mythical beastIncreased attention highlights the hidden wonders of chimeras O n the popular US TV series CSI, a rapist almost walks free until crime scene investigators realize he is a chimera: the semen found at the crime scene came from his unborn twin.In an episode of House, MD, doctors tackle the case of a boy, a product of in vitro fertilization, who thinks he has been part of an alien experiment.Conflicting medical tests and the discovery of cells with a different type of DNA are not evidence of alien torture, but rather a sign of the real problem: he is a chimera.On Grey's Anatomy, a tumour turns out to be the testis of a vanished twin, revealing an adolescent to be a hermaphrodite-and a chimera.On All My Children, tests initially indicate that Emma is not Annie's daughter, though Annie swears she gave birth to the girl.A switch in the nursery?No: tissue tests from several organs show Emma is a chimera.The examples do not end there.Over the past few years, US comedies, documentaries and even cartoons have featured chimeric characters, and the condition is now beginning to appear in European programming.