{"id":7425,"date":"2005-03-08T12:10:36","date_gmt":"2005-03-08T19:10:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp\/2005\/03\/08\/theyre-keeping-hitlers-brain-alive-in-a-mouse.html"},"modified":"2005-03-08T12:10:36","modified_gmt":"2005-03-08T19:10:36","slug":"theyre_keeping","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2005\/03\/08\/theyre_keeping.html","title":{"rendered":"They’re keeping Hitler’s brain alive in a mouse!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Beginning to hit the edge of the comfort zone with this one<\/a>:<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Researchers at Stanford University have already succeeded in breeding mice with brains that are one per cent human cells.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Prof Irving Weissman, who heads the university’s Institute of Cancer\/Stem Cell Biology, believes that the mice could produce a breakthrough in understanding how stem cells might lead to a cure for diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease.<\/p>\n

Quite likely. Of course, just because they have brains made from human brain cells doesn’t mean they’ll have actually human brains. Except, of course, to the extent that they’ll be studied. But a brain that size can’t really be human, right? Right?<\/p>\n

Last week, however, the university’s ethics committee approved the research, under certain conditions. Prof Henry Greely, the head of the committee, said: “If the mouse shows human-like behaviours, like improved memory or problem-solving, it’s time to stop.”<\/p>\n

Indeed. Or at least to have a looooooot more discussion.<\/p>\n

Of course, as soon as I start getting creeped out by this sort of thing, I read what the real opponents of it say, and it makes me feel better about it occurring.<\/p>\n

Should two such “chimera mice” mate, it could lead to the nightmarish scenario of a human embryo trapped in a mouse’s womb. William Cheshire, a neurology professor from the Mayo Clinic in Florida and a Christian activist, has called for a ban on any research that destroys a human embryo to create a new organism.<\/p>\n

“We must be careful not to violate the integrity of humanity or of animal life,” he said. “Research projects that create human-animal chimeras risk disturbing fragile ecosystems, endanger health and affront species integrity.”<\/p>\n

As opposed to, say, the disturbance of social systems from brain disease, the health endangered that way, or the personal dignity affronts of suffering from Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s.<\/p>\n

And … um … “species integrity”? There’s a new one on me.<\/p>\n

In a recent article for the conservative Weekly Standard magazine, Wesley Smith, a consultant for the Centre for Bioethics and Culture warned that “biotechnology is becoming dangerously close to raging out of control”. He wrote: “Scientists are engaging in increasingly macabre experiments that threaten to mutate nature and the human condition.”<\/p>\n

Quick! Activate the Sentinels!<\/a><\/p>\n

(via BoingBoing<\/a>)<\/small><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Beginning to hit the edge of the comfort zone with this one: In one of the most controversial scientific projects ever conceived, a group of university researchers in California’s Silicon…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7425","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-science"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":9881,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2006\/10\/16\/more_fabulous_health_news.html","url_meta":{"origin":7425,"position":0},"title":"More fabulous health news!","author":"***Dave","date":"Mon 16-Oct-06 10:04am","format":false,"excerpt":"Red wine helps protect against damage from strokes! Bottoms up! In an effort to better understand how red wine works, the scientists from Johns Hopkins University fed mice a...","rel":"","context":"In "Food & Drink"","block_context":{"text":"Food & Drink","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/food-drink"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/images\/red-wine.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":9298,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2006\/07\/29\/bt06_margies_ho.html","url_meta":{"origin":7425,"position":1},"title":"BT06 – Margie’s home!","author":"***Dave","date":"Sat 29-Jul-06 5:34pm","format":false,"excerpt":"Taking a half-hour off to renew the brain cells and socialize with the family and friends. 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View this post on Google+","rel":"","context":"In "~PlusPosts"","block_context":{"text":"~PlusPosts","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/blogging\/plusposts"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":24470,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2011\/12\/12\/brain-and-brain-what-is-brain.html","url_meta":{"origin":7425,"position":3},"title":"Brain and Brain! What is Brain?!","author":"***Dave","date":"Mon 12-Dec-11 8:28pm","format":false,"excerpt":"No real surprises here amongst the \"Brain Myths,\" but a good reminder about over-popular pseudo-science, how poor most science reporting is, and the power of memes. #ddtb Embedded Link Nine Stubborn Brain Myths That Just Won't Die, Debunked by Science Brain games will make you smarter! The internet is making\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "~PlusPosts"","block_context":{"text":"~PlusPosts","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/blogging\/plusposts"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":7949,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2005\/07\/14\/engineering_hum.html","url_meta":{"origin":7425,"position":4},"title":"Engineering humor","author":"***Dave","date":"Thu 14-Jul-05 8:03am","format":false,"excerpt":"Interesting site of engineering humor, jokes, trivia, puzzles. 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