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Human DNA Enlarges Mouse Brains
sciencehabit writes Researchers have increased the size of mouse brains by giving the rodents a piece of human DNA that controls gene activity. The work provides some of the strongest genetic evidence yet for how the human intellect surpassed those of all other apes. The human gene causes cells that are destined to become nerve cells to divide more frequently, thereby providing a larger of pool of cells that become part of the cortex. As a result, the embryos carrying human HARE5 have brains that are 12% larger than the brains of mice carrying the chimp version of the enhancer. The team is currently testing these mice to see if the bigger brains made them any smarter.
smart enough to deserve human rights.
Human rights are not based on intelligence. If they were, my brother-in-law would not be allowed to vote. Stupid people and smart people are considered equal before the law, and have the same rights to life and liberty. Even brain dead people with no hope of recovery have greater rights than chimps.
If we met intelligent aliens we would treat them as having human rights.
Yet when Europeans encountered black Africans, they denied that they had intelligence, and did not recognize their rights. We did the same for chimps and other primates, which are far more intelligent than was recognized a few decades ago. If history is any precedent, we will give sentient aliens whatever rights are economically convenient, and then make up a post hoc rationale.