Researchers Grow Tiny Human Brain In Lab

schwit1 writes: A team of researchers from Ohio State University claim to have grown a human brain in their lab that approximates the brain of a five-week-old fetus. They say the tiny brain is not conscious, but it could be used to test drugs and study diseases, but scientific peers urge caution. "The brain, which is about the size of a pencil eraser, is engineered from adult human skin cells and is the most complete human brain model yet developed, [the researchers say]. ... Anand and his colleagues claim to have reproduced 99% of the brain’s diverse cell types and genes. They say their brain also contains a spinal cord, signalling circuitry and even a retina." The team's data has not yet been peer reviewed.

Comments

Re:Consciousness

[angel'o'sphere]

What has being an atheist to do with knowing if an artificial grown brain is conscious?

We only know that at that stage of development the brain does not generate brain waves, so the scientists assume it has no consciousness yet.

Re: Shocking

[schwit1]

Human brain activity starts at ~12 weeks. 22 is the taking of a human life.

Re: Shocking

[smooth wombat]

But it's okay if the woman smokes, drinks heavily, does drugs or is obese while pregnant, right? Slowly poisoning the unborn, creating a greater opportunity for malformations or birth defects is acceptable so long as we keep popping out babies, right?

People who say they want to stop abortions because they're protecting the unborn never want to talk about any of the above because then suddenly the government is getting into one's personal life whereas telling a woman she MUST have a baby isn't government intrusion into one's personal life.

Hypocrites