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Scientists grow bigger monkey brains using human genes, replicating evolution

interestingengineering.com

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Re: Scientists grow bigger monkey brains using human genes, replicating evolution

#291

Post by patfla »

The article says ARHGAP11B promotes the growth of upper-layer neurons.

Jeff Hawkins has this intriguing idea that the transition is all about the runaway growth of, in particular, grid cells which is slightly confusing in that the major place grid cells have been found is in the entorhinal cortex. If they're responsible for a vast amplification of the neocortex I'd expect them to be all over the neocortex.

Whatever the case, I wonder if the two relate and, in particular, just what upper-layer neurons do that lends them to such a vast array of applications?

Clearly though there was runaway brain growth at a particular point in time and I wonder how that worked in terms of Darwinian development? It's a striking change for what one assumes is a relatively brief period of time. Punctuated equilibrium, right?

Re: Scientists grow bigger monkey brains using human genes, replicating evolution

#292

Post by ngcc_hk »

Japan and German ... the two axis countries like pure race and better race. I am not sure it is better cf with those experiments in communist china. May be a bit as they will give birth there.

Interesting engineering is nothing interesting and it is not about engineering.

Good luck human.

Re: Scientists grow bigger monkey brains using human genes, replicating evolution

#293

Post by [deleted] »

alisonkisk wrote: post #246
grimgrin wrote: post #216

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> This is crucial in order to maintain ethical boundaries. After about 100 days after the fetus had been growing, the international team unanimously agreed to remove the fetus through a C-section. Bringing a "new human-gene-influenced monkey into this world would step over the ethical line," said Huttner. > "To let them come to be born, in my opinion, would have been irresponsible as a first step," Huttner mentioned,…

Excuse me, but "pro-choice" doesn't mean you get to choose whether to abort someone else's fetus.

[deleted]

Re: Scientists grow bigger monkey brains using human genes, replicating evolution

#294

Post by Veedrac »

yeetman21 wrote: post #277
klunger wrote: post #143

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't. It makes me sick to my stomach. I am speaking as someone who is pro-choice, pro-GMO's and pro-stem cell research, etc. This research has crossed a line that none of the above do. It is creating a new kind of sentience, a new kind of soul. And, what's the point? To confirm a theory about a gene? So fricking what. That really doesn't matter, not in relation to the possible consequences: someone taking this res…

When the scientist create a GMO chicken and they get killed by the billions to feed us, no body bats an eye. Please, "new kind of soul" is a vast over statement. When horse breeders thousands of years ago artificially bred into existence new horses, no body cared, why is this any different?

Certainly some people care a lot about factory farming. Even so, the key difference here is that brain function and intelligence are tied so tightly to the idea of human exceptionalism; that it is OK to enslave a horse but not a human, because humans have more capacity for autonomy, suffering, and so forth.

How precisely to draw the line is very much a matter of disagreement.

Re: Scientists grow bigger monkey brains using human genes, replicating evolution

#295

Post by mrmario27 »

grawprog wrote: post #46

I find it hard to describe how I feel about this. These scientists essentially created what may have been a new species, that perhaps would have had similar sentience to us and had them terminated after 100 days. The cat's out of the bag with this research so to speak now. Someone's bound to do this again The part about whether they should have been born or not, which was the ethical thing is what tears at me. Is it…

Bit of a catch 22. We can’t understand it if we arent allowed to play with it but we can’t play with it without understanding it?

The potential good that can come out of this drastically out weighs the bad.

Unless you’re a pacifist vegan, I find such thinking deeply hypocritical.

Re: Scientists grow bigger monkey brains using human genes, replicating evolution

#296

Post by tikwidd »

grawprog wrote: post #46

I find it hard to describe how I feel about this. These scientists essentially created what may have been a new species, that perhaps would have had similar sentience to us and had them terminated after 100 days. The cat's out of the bag with this research so to speak now. Someone's bound to do this again The part about whether they should have been born or not, which was the ethical thing is what tears at me. Is it…

The article talks about the gene increasing the neocortex, folding of the brain, more neurons and so forth. There is no evidence that doing these things to a monkey brain will imbue it with (human) intelligence. For all we know it could have just made this monkey a better forager, or improved its natural problem solving instincts.

Better brain != human.

Re: Scientists grow bigger monkey brains using human genes, replicating evolution

#297

Post by antonzabirko »

grawprog wrote: post #46

I find it hard to describe how I feel about this. These scientists essentially created what may have been a new species, that perhaps would have had similar sentience to us and had them terminated after 100 days. The cat's out of the bag with this research so to speak now. Someone's bound to do this again The part about whether they should have been born or not, which was the ethical thing is what tears at me. Is it…

Nothing wrong with this, plus its good for future research.

Re: Scientists grow bigger monkey brains using human genes, replicating evolution

#298

Post by [deleted] »

chacha2 wrote: post #57
to11mtm wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Oddly, I came up with a pretty good plan for Enslaving Humanity without most of them noticing (and the software architecture that would power it) during a Sunday Drive today. I'll say that the concept I came up with was probably far far cheaper than gene therapy and could be reached in 5-10 years. So I wouldn't lose sleep over this

Currently most of humanity is oblivious to it's enslavement, what does your strategy add?

[deleted]

Re: Scientists grow bigger monkey brains using human genes, replicating evolution

#299

Post by [deleted] »

grawprog wrote: post #46

I find it hard to describe how I feel about this. These scientists essentially created what may have been a new species, that perhaps would have had similar sentience to us and had them terminated after 100 days. The cat's out of the bag with this research so to speak now. Someone's bound to do this again The part about whether they should have been born or not, which was the ethical thing is what tears at me. Is it…

[deleted]

Re: Scientists grow bigger monkey brains using human genes, replicating evolution

#300

Post by newsbinator »

tibbydudeza wrote: post #48

So "Planet of the Apes" was not so far fetched after all. Now somewhere someone will think ... hmmm why can't we replace all our complaining factory workers and their wages/healthcare/retirement plans with these "creatures" and only pay them peanuts and banana's.

> why can't we replace all our complaining factory workers and their wages/healthcare/retirement plans with these "creatures" and only pay them peanuts and banana's.

Automation would probably be cheaper, more consistent, and more effective.

Biology wasn't designed for production line work. Humans are really bad at it. Engineered primates might be better at it because they'd be engineered not to get bored or frustrated, but they'd still be a fraction of a % as efficient as a machine with 100 arms and conveyor belts.

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