• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Scientists to make 'Stuart Little' mouse with the brain of a human

Status
Not open for further replies.
3

3phemeral

Member
Scientists to make 'Stuart Little' mouse with the brain of a human
By James Langton in New York
(Filed: 06/03/2005)

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.
Click to expand...
The group is waiting for a key American government-sponsored report, due this month, that will decide just how much science can blur the distinction between man and beast.

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."
Click to expand...
President George W Bush halted government-funded research during his first term of office but several states, including California, have since passed laws that allow support for stem cell projects from local taxes.

At hearings in Washington last October, Prof Weissman argued strongly against a ban on "chimera mice". He believes that the mice would behave like any others, but said that he would monitor the experiment closely and destroy them at the slightest suggestion of human-like brain patterns.
Click to expand...
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.

"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.''

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."
Click to expand...

Source
 
W

Willco

Hollywood Square
What if it starts speaking like Michael J. Fox and gets into whacky adventures with his adorable, crazy hijinks? Would Professor ASSHOLE destroy him then?

This sounds like the plot to STUART LITTLE 3.

(p.s. fun fact: stuart little was written by m. night shyamalan)
 
O

Otaking

Member
If this works, I want a cat with a human brain inside.

But seriously..is it even possible that this mouse would start to exhibit human behavior? That just seems impossible. Would the mouse even be able to learn to speak English? If so, would it even have the vocal cords necessary to utter a word? If I'm wrong, and it does have the necessary parts to do this, I apologize. I never studied the anatomy of a mouse.
 
T

temp

posting on contract only
The Shadow said:
I simply can't believe how stupid some people can be.
Click to expand...
It would be like backwards Stuart Little, and thusly the greatest thing imaginable.
 
G

Ghost

Chili Con Carnage!
what the fuck does this kind of experiment achieve?

It reminds me of Mephesto from south park

pics-105-4.jpg

Mephesto: It's thanks to the wonders of genetic engineering that soon there will be an end to hunger, disease, pollution, even war. I have created things that will change the world for the better. For instance, here is a monkey with four asses.
 
Dice

Dice

Pokémon Parentage Conspiracy Theorist
Well while everyone is debating whether or not this is ethical, let's put the guidance system for a 747 in a lawnmower.
 
A

AntoneM

Member
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
Click to expand...

a-buh? And I always thought the Mayo Clinic was pretty cool.
 
N

NLB2

Banned
max_cool said:
a-buh? And I always thought the Mayo Clinic was pretty cool.
Click to expand...
Yeah, that definitely led to me scratching my head as well. And I agree with Drinky - this is badass science at its finest. Anybody who complains about something like this needs to find something better to do with their life.
 
Escape Goat

Escape Goat

Member
That reminds me of the Sealab Tin Fins movie: "We turned natures most deadly and efficient killing machine and needlessly turned it into a robot."
 
R

RonaldoSan

Member
Smart pets? I don't hope so! They will log on to ebay and buy shit you don't need, empty the fridge all the time, steal your porn... Now why would I want all that?
 
H

human5892

Queen of Denmark
"If the mouse shows human-like behaviours, like improved memory or problem-solving, it's time to stop."
Click to expand...
Why?

I'm sick and tired of this happy-crappy "DON'T MESS WITH LIFE IT'S BEAUTIFUL JESUS CREATION" shit. What the hell harm does it do anyone to make a smart mouse?

God damnit.

Drinky Crow said:
Sounds fuckin' COOL to me.
Click to expand...
A-fucking-men.
 
O

olimario

Banned
human5892 said:
Why?

I'm sick and tired of this happy-crappy "DON'T MESS WITH LIFE IT'S BEAUTIFUL JESUS CREATION" shit. What the hell harm does it do anyone to make a smart mouse?

God damnit.
Click to expand...

Does 'Billy Bo Bob Brain' ring a bell?
 
M

MoxManiac

Member
What's the point though? If they are going to crush smash destroy on the slightest sight of altered behavior, why the fuck are they doing it?
 
T

Takuan

Member
This genius mouse will be the end of us all. Imagine if it organizes all manner of rodent into rising up against the human popoulation. We'd get raped.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

Scientists at Harvard University claim to have come excitingly close to finding the proverbial Fountain of Youth
Rumor Science
37
4K
Winter John replied
US National Toxicology Program Report: High levels of fluoride exposure linked to lower IQ in children
2 3
148
7K
EverydayBeast replied
Neuralink Show and Tell event
27
2K
Ballthyrm replied
World's first living robots can now reproduce, scientists say
40
3K
Dream-Knife replied
[Wired] AI Is Already Taking Jobs in the Video Game Industry
2 3 4 5
235
13K
taylor34 replied
Top Bottom