Reference > The Stranger Within (Human Chimera)
Description :: New Scientist vol 180 issue 2421, page 34, November 15th 2003
(Hopefully, linking to this copy of the article won't get the host in trouble. It's a really interesting read, and is much more thorough than other human-chimera articles I've been able to find.)

See link at bottom, and another in the 'related' section below that.

From Everything2, we have 'Karen Keegan' and 'Lydia Fairchild' as names of human chimeras, but I wasn't able to find any other source on them. For all I know, it's a fabrication, though the described case is itself interesting.(The state trying to take children away from their mother because initial genetic tests indicate they're not hers, when in fact they are.) The name 'Jane' is used in several articles about human chimeras (all the same case, involving three children, all of which are obviously their father's children, but only one of which is initially obviously the mother's.). No last name is given anywhere, which is okay -- I'm all about protecting patient privacy, but from a fact-checking point of view, it's a little frustrating.

In any case, things we can derive from this and other data:
- One body may contain more than one set of DNA
- One body may contain two humans (conjoined), sharing organs (heart)
- So far, all conjoined cases have been of identical twins, though nobody seems to indicate it's absolutely impossible
- Multiple bodies may share the same set of DNA (twins, clones)

I only mention this because when it comes to arguments about "what we can kill", there are often arguments about DNA, or bodies, or what-have-you ... the definition of 'person' (or proto-person, etc.) is something that needs fine-tuning in such debates.

Link :: http://www.katewerk.com/chimera.html