'Human-brained' monkeys

TonyHiggins · Post by **TonyHiggins** » Tue Jul 12, 2005 8:15 pm

Very weird (reminds me of Startide Rising by David Brin):

'Human-brained' monkeys
By Nick Buchan of NEWS.com.au
July 11, 2005

SCIENTISTS have been warned that their latest experiments may accidently produce monkeys with brains more human than animal.
In cutting-edge experiments, scientists have injected human brain cells into monkey fetuses to study the effects.

Critics argue that if these fetuses are allowed to develop into self-aware subjects, science will be thrown into an ethical nightmare.

An eminent committee of American scientists will call for restrictions into the research, saying the outcome of such studies cannot be predicted and may in fact produce subjects with a 'super-animal' intelligence.

The high-powered committee of animal behaviourists, lawyers, philosophers, bio-ethicists and neuro-scientists was established four years ago to examine the growing numbers of human/monkey experiments.

These procedures, known as 'human-primate chimeras', involve the combination of human and monkey cells, tissue and DNA to observe any effect and examine the possibility that such combination could actually exist.

Chimeras are mythical monsters from Greek literature, which combined various bodyparts from lions, goats nd snakes.

This team will soon publish its conclusions in leading journal Science. In the report the committee will address such unsettling questions as whether introducing human cells into non-human primate brains could cause "significant physical or biochemical changes that make the brain more human-like" and how those changes could be detected.

The committee will also examine how detectable differences in the monkey's brains, for example emotional or behavioural changes, or if the monkeys developed 'self awareness', could be measured - and dealt with.

"What we were trying to do was anticipate - recognising that if science were to take that path there might be some different kinds of moral challenges." said committee co-chairman Dr Ruth Faden, a professor in biomedical ethics.

jsluder · Post by **jsluder** » Wed Jul 13, 2005 9:09 am

Planet of the Apes, here we come.

Tyler · Post by **Tyler** » Wed Jul 13, 2005 9:15 am

jsluder wrote:Planet of the Apes, here we come.

Someone go grab Marc Whalberg, he'll know what to do! Charelton Heston's too old for this kind of thing

amar · Post by **amar** » Wed Jul 13, 2005 9:15 am

so what else is new?

Tyler · Post by **Tyler** » Wed Jul 13, 2005 9:16 am

amar wrote:so what else is new?

OMG!! ROFL!!
That just made my day!!!

I.D.10-t · Post by **I.D.10-t** » Wed Jul 13, 2005 9:18 am

No Chemical X?

GaryKelly · Post by **GaryKelly** » Wed Jul 13, 2005 9:25 am

Weeks'll not be amused.

GaryKelly · Post by **GaryKelly** » Wed Jul 13, 2005 9:27 am

Evil Professor Monkey-for-a-Head. Arch nemesis of none other than Earthworm Jim!

Tyler · Post by **Tyler** » Wed Jul 13, 2005 9:35 am

amar wrote:so what else is new?

I just thought of a title for that picture...

Curious George!

jsluder · Post by **jsluder** » Wed Jul 13, 2005 9:36 am

Funky Monkey!

Good Monkey!

Monkey out of Nowhere!

Monkey Bomb!

Triple-Ripple Vanilla Road Monkey!

Joseph E. Smith · Post by **Joseph E. Smith** » Wed Jul 13, 2005 9:47 am

Animal Cruelty... nothing more, nothing less.

The Weekenders · Post by **The Weekenders** » Wed Jul 13, 2005 10:03 am

Back on the topic, this is why a society can never get so enchanted with science that ethicists, even religionists, are not considered as equal partners at the table of deciding such issues. Yes, a medical ethicist is quoted in the story but I think people get too casual about thinking that "expert scientists" are going to lead us into better lives and destinies.

I always have seen irony in the fact that racism against blacks was more complete and damning AFTER the Civil War during the late 1800s-early 1900s, in the era that scientists were measuring brain cavities, skull shapes, facial types and dreaming up Eugenics schemes; all in the name of SCIENCE. At the expense of invoking a certain feller whose name begins with H, there seemed to be a continuance in his regime of "serious Science" proving agenda-driven myths about superiority..

Science is amoral and must be scrutinized.

missy · Post by **missy** » Wed Jul 13, 2005 10:06 am

weeks wrote:
"........but I think people get too casual about thinking that "expert scientists" are going to lead us into better lives and destinies."

Ah, believe me, I work with a lot of "expert scientists" on a daily basis, and there's no way I'd want to see the results if they were allowed to experiment indiscriminantly!!!!
Of course, there are a few that I've banned from the lab because they are an accident waiting to happen!!

Tyler · Post by **Tyler** » Wed Jul 13, 2005 10:11 am

I agree... the genetic experiments have gone too far already

In all seriousness, though, what if we were to create a new species of animal that might eventually replace us as the dominant species on the plannet? All Planet of the Apes jokes aside, has anyone considered that we may create a greater intelligence than our own through this type of thing?
For some reason it makes me think of a very old Mathew Broderick film where they experiment on chimps to try and make them test fighter pilots...I cant for the life of me think of the name of the movie...has anyone else seen it (help me out here, eh)? Its been years and years since I've seen it.

jsluder · Post by **jsluder** » Wed Jul 13, 2005 10:14 am

Tyler Morris wrote:For some reason it makes me think of a very old Mathew Broderick film where they experiment on chimps to try and make them test fighter pilots...I cant for the life of me think of the name of the movie...has anyone else seen it (help me out here, eh)? Its been years and years since I've seen it.

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