What's a Chimera?

For those who've read my article on chimeric research, you may be wondering what 'chimeric' is. It comes from the name 'chimera', which is a mythical creature made up of a lion, goat and serpent -- i.e. a monstrous creature. (see article on left; only the left column is relevant, and u can see the two pics of the chimera there)

Chimeric research is about fusing man and animals together by mixing the genes of both together -- with the accompanying fear of creating a Frankenstein monster.

Incidentally, this being the year of the dragon, realize that there is a saying that the Chinese dragon is like a chimera too, as it is made up of a combination of a few animals i.e. snake, eagle, etc.

Language-wise, the idiomatic expression 'chasing after a chimera' means pursuing something that is elusive or unattainable, because the chimera doesn't exist at all. A typical sentence is : Kittybond likes to daydream; her latest idea to XXX is akin to chasing after a chimera.