The chimaera is not new, but this is the first time it has been tested in animals.
British Dictionary definitions for chimaera
chimaera
/kaɪˈmɪərə; kɪ-/
noun
1.
any tapering smooth-skinned cartilaginous deep-sea fish of the subclass Holocephali (or Bradyodonti), esp any of the genus Chimaera. They have a skull in which the upper jaw is fused to the cranium See also rabbitfish (sense 1)
2.
(Greek myth) a variant spelling of chimera (sense 1)
chimera
/kaɪˈmɪərə; kɪ-/
noun
1.
(often capital) (Greek myth) a fire-breathing monster with the head of a lion, body of a goat, and tail of a serpent
2.
a fabulous beast made up of parts taken from various animals
3.
a wild and unrealistic dream or notion
4.
(biology) an organism, esp a cultivated plant, consisting of at least two genetically different kinds of tissue as a result of mutation, grafting, etc
Word Origin
C16: from Latin chimaera, from Greek khimaira she-goat, from khimaros he-goat