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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Society for Neuroscience starting November 11 in Washington D.C., two teams of scientists plan to present previously unpublished research on the unexpected interaction between human mini-brains and their rat and mouse hosts.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.
the instant one of those things signals that it's hurting or wants the pain to stop, the ethics and morals will apply again
Just like with the rats, mice, chimps, rabbits and other animals... right?
We stop with those too, right?
Itâ(TM)s got nothing to do with ethics or morals and everything to do with rights.
No precedent says a dish grown mini-brain has rights... so they will grow, slice, dice and do whatever they please to iâZt regardless of any pain or suffering it perceives.
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.
Who's to say what they experience or feel? That they're not alive? Seems to me they're making them as close to a live brain as possible, so...
The typical Political archetypes are psychopaths as the leaders with narcissists as the minions, willing to do anything for anyone for empty compliments about how great they are
For what we can see politics has become so dis-functional with the identity game that it is precisely what attracts psychopaths and narcissists. The image of competence. Meanwhile, the competent are subject to all of the games psychopaths and narcissists play, manipulating people.
Your example of Tesla and Edison is a good one, especially considering that when Einstein was asked, What's it like to be the smartest man in the world? he replied: "I don't know, you would have to ask Nicola Tesla." It's a good example of what this sickness costs our species.
I'm only pointing it out because I think that sickness overshadows politics and we have to fix politics to prevent psychopaths spreading their corruption throughout our society.
My ism, it's full of beliefs.
I do love how the author comes up with a lovely name like "mini brains" for something that can be compared to Frankenstein.
When you have to choose between two people trying to ruin your life, and one of em is very smart and talented and the other is a complete dumbass, i don't think you would choose the more capable one.
If you grew a brain twice as large as a persons brain would it be twice as intelligent?
Very serious answer :
size plays some role, but only in relation of other metrics.
- You need to compare the ratio between the size of the brain and the overall size of the body that said brain needs to control.
The more body you need to control, the more primary motor and sensory zone you need inside the brain to control it.
i.e.: the more you needs cells in the brain whose primary role is to be connected to part of the body.
A human has a brain of around a kilogram. An elephant's is a bit under 5kg, a whale is a bit 8 kg.
That doesn't mean that whales laugh at our "inability to come with a good theory of everything and struggle with string theory instead". It's just that whales have a lot more "whale" to move around and thus need the corresponding brain parts to control it.
- You need to compare the amount of neurons (the actual brain cells doing the work) to the amount of other cells (the support cells that help the whole thing work out). (It's an approximation but you got the thing).
Part of the reason why dolphins aren't winning Nobel prizes yet (apart from obvious specie-ism) is also because they have brain better adapted to their harsh environment (cold seas). Part of their brain size isn't due to neurons working to make them intelligent, but to all the other support cells making sure that the brain keeps working without any problem under circumstances where a human would have been frozen.
- You need to have a look at the brain surface. The more intelligent species (great apes, cetaceans, etc.) have found way to cram more brain power in tighter volumes by wrinkling and crumbling the surface : we tend to have deeper sulci.
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