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.

Comments

The Secret of NIHM

[Anonymous Coward]

Prophecy. Pure prophecy.

Creepy

[Iamthecheese]

I'm not going to complain about "playing god" but this definitely approaches immoral conduct. Change this gene in something with a larger brain and you could create animals smart enough to deserve human rights. At that point the only ethical course of action is to give them said rights. The problem is the lack of a proper legal framework for such. Our science is in the 21st century but our laws are 19th to 20th. It's practically a very small step from this to sheep or monkeys.

We need to start defining legal rights for intelligent, non-human entities immediately.

Re:Creepy

[penguinoid]

Human rights are not based on intelligence.

They absolutely are. If we met non-intelligent aliens people would have no trouble treating them as having no rights, as pets, food source, or whatever. If we met intelligent aliens we would treat them as having human rights. Similarly, we may soon have to deal with the question of what sort of rights artificial intelligence have (both computer artificial intelligence, and biotechological artificial intelligence).

The main reasons we give rights to the very young and comatose and mentally handicapped are (in no particular order) because we know better than to allow someone the power to decide who does or doesn't get human rights, because of empathy, because it sends a very clear message that certain things are unacceptable. Even so, less intelligent humans lose some of their rights (eg the right to sign binding legal contracts). And more intelligent (and cuter) animals get additional rights not granted to less intelligent animals, so eg kittens have more rights than spiders.

Forget mice - consider dogs, horses, cats, and men

[Karmashock]

Dogs are genetically disposed to imprint on their owners. Imagine a dog that really does understand human language... complete with grammar. Lassie, sort my mail then bring me bills and magazines.

Consider a horse that isn't stupid. Able to know when it is needed, what it is to do, and when it is to leave. And possibly the damn things could be taught to take care of themselves a bit better so that the owners don't have to spend as much time fussing over them.

Imagine cats that are not only bred by instinct to depopulate the rat population in the area but that understand that is why you keep them there. Possibly useful as lookouts etc in ways that they're not today.

And then... people... perhaps this can be stimulated further in a human embryo. They've said our brains won't work much better if made larger but no one has put that little theory to the test. It is possible that a modified human could enjoy a qualitative advantage over normal humans comparable to the advantage normal humans have over chimps. And that sort of advantage is worth the swelled head and sore neck.

Flowers for Algernon

[ClickOnThis]

This reminds me of the novel by Daniel Keyes, who BTW died last year.