“Geneticists hope comparing prehistoric and modern biology will help them understand what makes humans unique. Scientists are preparing to create “miniature brains” that have been genetically engineered to contain Neanderthal DNA, in an unprecedented attempt to understand how humans differ from our closest relatives.
In the next few months the small blobs of tissue, known as brain organoids, will be grown from human stem cells that have been edited to contain “Neanderthalised” versions of several genes.
The lentil-sized organoids, which are incapable of thoughts or feelings, replicate some of the basic structures of an adult brain. They could demonstrate for the first time if there were meaningful differences between human and Neanderthal brain biology.
“Neanderthals are the closest relatives to everyday humans, so if we should define ourselves as a group or a species it is really them that we should compare ourselves to,” said Prof Svante Pääbo, director of the genetics department at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, where the experiments are being performed.”
pam
Oh yeah, this can’t be good. A brain with no feelings, thoughts- hey; was;n’t that already done? (insert political party of your choice)
Wes
lol Pam
Denise F
?
Ben H
Yeah…this can’t go wrong…
(too funny, Pam! LOL!)
Maynard w
This seems like the beginning of a movie where things go poorly for mankind especially those in the immediate vicinty. I think Duke said it best, “Jurassic Park is a cautionary tale.”
Fran S
Hmmm and this makes me wonder why they are curious about this and not what is in the woods.
Steve W
Gotta spend that grant money somewhere !!! (?)
Kim C. L
Oh Pam!
You’re killin me!!!
m99
Disclosure, disclosure, disclosure, like a constant drip, drip, drip from the sink, or toads in a slow boil pan.
Michael W
Sounds like the days of Noah… Not good.
Asheim
Yes, what could possibly go wrong??? The making of a new horror flick.
Chris422
What a cool idea. Let’s do some creating.
Chris422
Let’s clone a caveman.
Amy H
How else would we learn if we didn’t conduct such experiments? I’m all for it.