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Mice Created With Human Brain Cells
pin_gween writes "Scientists have added 100,000 human brain cells to mice in an effort to create realistic models of disorders like Parkinson's Disease. Although mice are 97.5 percent genetically identical to humans and it sounds like a large number, 100,000 only represents 0.1% of the number of cells in mice brains. FTA: 'It's true that there is a huge amount of similarity, but the differences are huge,' Snyder said. 'You will never ever have a little human trapped inside a mouse or monkey's body. [...] Researchers are nevertheless beginning to bump up against what bioethicists call the "yuck factor." 'The worry is if you humanize them too much you cross certain boundaries,' said David Magnus, director of the Stanford Medical Center for Biomedical Ethics. 'But I don't think this research comes even close to that.'"
I for one welcome our new Pinky and the Brain overlords. NARF!
The mice were furious.
I thought mice - being pan dimensional beings - were far more advanced than humans (ranked 3, just after dolphins).
This is like modding an xbox 360/ps3/whatever with a Z80 - why whould you want to do that?
Yay, human-brained mice. This means that once they escape and start rampaging, scientists will have no choice but to create a race of catpeople to counter them. Of course, this will lead to revolts creating a need for dogpeople, but for a short time, I shall have my catboy! Vengance shall be mine!
Marxism is the opiate of dumbasses
so is all this 97.5% like generic organ, dna stuff?
You're about 50% banana.
i dont see the similarities between humans and mice
You obviously haven't even looked at a banana very closely, let alone a mouse. About the only difference a lifeform from the proverbial Mars would see between a human and a mouse would be scale. We are virtually identical to mice in every detail but stature.
If you want learn human anatomy, disect a chicken, and a chicken isn't even a mammal.
KFG
Researchers are nevertheless beginning to bump up against what bioethicists call the "yuck factor."
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~ |rip/\/\aster /\/\onkey
Remind me what's so unique about human neurons that cause people to fear that mice will somehow become conscious, thinking organisms?
So far we have super-strong, long-lived, regenerating mice with human brain cells. We're getting pretty close to "the mice of NIMH".
If 100.000 brain cells is 0.1% then a mouse has 100.000.000 brain cells. How many bytes does it take to describe a brain cell? How many connections are there from a single brain cell to other brain cells? Say it takes 4 bytes to address the connections. Then 10 connections per cell make 4GByte in total. Who is going to write the software to simulate a mouse?
Woah, there! Easy now, fellah! We've already lost that one to Chimps, at the very least, who have been seen to actively seek out and kill Chimps that don't belong to their own group, going so far as, when finding a lone 'other,' to head back, round up a posse, and then go 'curb stomp' their 'ass.' Chimps will also kill babies of any female they meet that they have not had sex with. Hence Chimp promiscuity.
And dolphins also commit gang-rape.
We humans aren't so special after all.
Edward@Tomato - /home/Edward/ man woman
man: no entry for woman in the manual.
"Qua!?"
The worry is if you humanize them too much you cross certain boundaries
How about if we cross a different barrier and drop the anthropocentric bullshit.
so just for the record, we can make super strong fearless immortal mice that can sing, regenerate body parts, sniff out landmines, and have partial human brains. scientists don't mod their computer cases, they mod their mice!
Anons need not reply. Questions end with a question mark.
Well I don't know about you, but speaking for myself, I find significant differences:
Of course, there are also similarities:
You're about 50% banana.
I like to think of myself as mostly fruitcake.
Soylent Green is peoplicious!