Human Mini-Brains Growing Inside Rat Bodies Are Starting To Integrate (inverse.com)

At the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience starting November 11 in Washington D.C., two teams of scientists plan to present previously unpublished research on the unexpected interaction between human mini-brains and their rat and mouse hosts. "In the new papers, according to STAT, scientists will report that the organoids survived for extended periods of time -- two months in one case -- and even connected to lab animals' circulatory and nervous systems, transferring blood and nerve signals between the host animal and the implanted human cells," reports Inverse. "This is an unprecedented advancement for mini-brain research." From the report: That mini-brains can even be grown in the lab is a huge advancement in the first place, as they have many of the same characteristics as living human brains that are in the early stages of development. Though they're not "alive" in the same sense that you and I are, they grow and are organized into different layers like our brains are. They even react in similar ways to stimuli like psychedelic drugs. Organoids are poised to revolutionize research on the human brain since scientists can perform tests on them that would be unethical to attempt on living humans. STAT also reports that a third lab, in addition to the two presenting at the Society for Neuroscience meeting, has successfully connected human brain organoids to blood vessels. This attempt veered into such challenging ethical territory, though, that the lab reportedly paused its efforts.

Comments

I know how this ends

[PopeRatzo]

http://data.whicdn.com/images/...

Science safety tip:

[joe_frisch]

If it sounds like the intro to a horror movie / game, maybe you should think twice about proceeding....

differentiation

[slothman32]

Any brain can integrate; wake me up when they can find derivatives.

God help us all

[hyades1]

"Human Mini-Brains Growing Inside Rat Bodies Are Starting To Integrate"

Big deal. So they've invented vat-grown lawyers.

Re: When Will This Work On Republicans?

[Ol Olsoc]

Are you sure about your IQ? Because you might want to get refund on the test.

You have to admit, he made the perfect example of the Dunning-Kruger effect