Mice with Human Brains
I think we all know Mickey Mouse, Stuart Little, Mighty Mouse and a certain other mouse. They are mice who have (super) human personalities and abilities. While the cartoon versions might seem a little far fetched, the real life versions are about to be developed (save for one current living specimen).
Scientists are planning to use stem cells from aborted human foetuses to create a mouse with totally human brain. This is a controversial experiment, as there are many who object to research into creating such human-animal hybrids, for fear that it could spiral out of control and create unexpected problems. However, these mice with human brains are being developed for a reason - to further research for diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease. Other such hybrids have already been developed like pigs with human blood and sheep with human livers, but I guess the the brain is a more controversial organ.
Theoretically, the mice would not act any different from normal mice (but we all know that theory is different from practice) as the brain sizes would be the same. Researchers planning this experiment also say that they will terminate the experiment should the mice start to show "human-like behaviours", which (unfortunately) is unlikely to be the ability to speak.
Well, I don't really know what to make of this. On the one hand, I think medical research has to be done and cures for currently uncurable diseases have to be found. On the other hand, the moral and ethical issues, plus the potential problems that could arise are dangers that we cannot ignore. What do you think?
Click here for the full article.
PS: Sorry RX, I just couldn't resist the temptation... :p
Scientists are planning to use stem cells from aborted human foetuses to create a mouse with totally human brain. This is a controversial experiment, as there are many who object to research into creating such human-animal hybrids, for fear that it could spiral out of control and create unexpected problems. However, these mice with human brains are being developed for a reason - to further research for diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease. Other such hybrids have already been developed like pigs with human blood and sheep with human livers, but I guess the the brain is a more controversial organ.
Theoretically, the mice would not act any different from normal mice (but we all know that theory is different from practice) as the brain sizes would be the same. Researchers planning this experiment also say that they will terminate the experiment should the mice start to show "human-like behaviours", which (unfortunately) is unlikely to be the ability to speak.
Well, I don't really know what to make of this. On the one hand, I think medical research has to be done and cures for currently uncurable diseases have to be found. On the other hand, the moral and ethical issues, plus the potential problems that could arise are dangers that we cannot ignore. What do you think?
It will look like any ordinary mouse, but for America's scientists a tiny animal threatens to ignite a profound ethical dilemma.
In one of the most controversial scientific projects ever conceived, a group of university researchers in California's Silicon Valley is preparing to create a mouse whose brain will be composed entirely of human cells.
Researchers at Stanford University have already succeeded in breeding mice with brains that are one per cent human cells.
In the next stage they plan to use stem cells from aborted foetuses to create an animal whose brain cells are 100 per cent human.
Click here for the full article.
PS: Sorry RX, I just couldn't resist the temptation... :p
posted by CS at 8:26 AM
3 Comments:
Call these scientists, "weird scientists","crazy scientists", "scientists with the aim to make it work for humanities" or "scientists who just hope to get famous one day". It's simply not right to do this kind of thing, be it whether it is for the good of humanity or any other research purposes. Manupulating the stem cell of human foetuses to create a human brain using a mouse is like saying,well, if the sample is unsuccessful, it's absolutely alright for the scientists to just terminate the life of the animal (just in the case like, it's alright to terminate the foetus - a human life) If the scientists were to succeed, would they guarantee that they would not be tempted to use the idea for other uses? Sighz, for centuries, people have been trying to "Play God". I'll leave it up to the readers to decide for themselves if this is good for the human race or not.
I didn't really like their idea either... Found it really weird, interesting, but weird and uncalled for.
I dun really know much about medical science but I think there should be some other way to research these diseases.
It's quite sad that medical science has taken up this path. But I hope, at least, that whatever research they do on stem cells, they get the stem cells from already aborted foetuses or other sources, and not through illegal means or by forcing/encouraging parents to abort their babies.
hmm. probably there are laws binding such issues to prevent misuse of authority to handle stem cells appropriately?
hmm.
*back to programming*
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