Posted on 11/18/2020 12:59:52 PM PST by Red Badger
Scientists introduced a human gene, ARHGAP11B, into monkey fetuses.
The gene caused an increase in the size of the monkey brains, including folding similar to that of human brains.
The study poses some serious ethical questions on genetic engineering.
=========================================================================
In an experiment that could portend a real-life Planet of the Apes situation, scientists spliced human genes into the fetus of a monkey to substantially increase the size of the primate’s brain. And it worked.
Researchers from Germany’s Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics in Germany and Japan’s Central Institute for Experimental Animals introduced a specifically human gene, ARHGAP11B, into the fetus of a common marmoset monkey, causing the enlargement of its brain’s neocortex. The scientists reported their findings in Science.
The neocortex is the newest part of the brain to evolve. It’s in the name—“neo” meaning new, and “cortex” meaning, well, the bark of a tree. This outer shell makes up more than 75 percent of the human brain and is responsible for many of the perks and quirks that make us uniquely human, including reasoning and complex language.
Not long after our hominid ancestors branched off the evolutionary tree of our current chimpanzee cousins, their brains underwent a rapid expansion, nearly tripling in size over a span of 3 million years. Hominids’ brains grew so fast that they became cramped in the slowly evolving craniums, causing the distinctly human folding of the neocortex into wrinkles.
Scientists believe this was the result of a number of evolutionary factors, but the expression of ARGHAP11B, something unique to hominids, may have given a boost to the brains of our ancestors, and close-but-now-extinct relatives, the Neanderthals and Denisovans.
A comparison of two marmoset monkey brains at the same stage of development. The left brain is that of a normal monkey, while the right has the expression of the human gene ARHGAP11B. Heide et al. / MPI-CBG
================================================================================
Previous studies have shown that ARHGAP11B, when unnaturally expressed in mice and ferrets, also caused an enlargement of the neocortex. However, this was the first time the gene was used in a non-human primate and with typical human levels of expression, further suggesting the gene played a key role in our evolution.
ARGHAP11B arose in our ancestors some 5 million years ago when a happy little accident was made copying the everyday gene ARGHAP11A. In an evolutionary mistake, a single substitution of one nucleotide base (the molecules that encode DNA) with another led to the loss of 55 nucleotides from ARHGAP11B. Like a computer reading an incorrect line of code, the mutation caused the neuron-producing cells of the brain to make more of themselves for longer periods of time, resulting in a larger neocortex.
A slice of the brain of a 101 day-old marmoset monkey showing the growth and folding of its neocortex. Heide et al. / MPI-CBG
=======================================================================
“We found indeed that the neocortex of the common marmoset brain was enlarged and the brain surface folded,” Michael Heide, the lead author of the study, said in a press release. “Its cortical plate was also thicker than normal.” He continued:
“Furthermore, we could see increased numbers of basal radial glia progenitors in the outer subventricular zone and increased numbers of upper-layer neurons, the neuron type that increases in primate evolution.”
The scientists call these human-monkey hybrids “transgenic non-human primates,” which may be enough to ring the alarm of any doomsdayer. It certainly raises a lot of ethical questions when doing experiments on primates, let alone when introducing human genes into other animals.
For this reason, the researchers limited their study to monkey fetuses, which were taken out by C-section after growing for 100 days. Allowing the experiment to go past the fetal phase and let the human gene-carrying monkeys to be born would be irresponsible and unethical, study coauthor Wieland Huttner said in the press release.
"We confined our analyses to marmoset fetuses, because we anticipated that the expression of this human-specific gene would affect the neocortex development in the marmoset,” Huttner said. “In light of potential unforeseeable consequences with regard to postnatal brain function, we considered it a prerequisite—and mandatory from an ethical point of view—to first determine the effects of ARHGAP11B on the development of fetal marmoset neocortex."
Not too much human brain juice, though. They could turn Republican and start quoting TANSTAAFB*.
*There ain't no such thing as a free banana.
Dr. Frederick Frankenstein: Whose brain did you put in him?
Igor: Err... Abby something...
Dr. Frederick Frankenstein: Abby who?
Igor: Abby... Normal. Yes that’s it, Abby Normal!
Dr. Frederick Frankenstein: Are you saying that you put an abnormal brain in a 7 foot tall, 54 inch wide GORILLA!!!???
Dr. Frederick Frankenstein: Are you saying that you put an abnormal brain in a 7 foot tall, 54 inch wide GORILLA?
Maybe they should do the reverse on half the libtards in America. They need all the help they can get.
I proved that with a friend of mine once. We were documenting the effects of alcohol over time. We had a notepad with a table to fill in, a pen, a stopwatch, and a bottle of whiskey with two shot glasses.
Friend’s mom shows up, says “this is the most serious drinking I’ve ever seen!” She then goes to the kitchen, gets a glass with some ice and comes back to get it filled.
Fixed it!
I saw a similar movie last night! CAPTIVE WILD WOMAN(1942) in which mad doctor John Carridine steals an ape, transmits sex hormomes, glands and a human brain to it. Turns the ape into a nice looking woman.
Circus animals, lions and tiger trainer Clyde Beatty doubling for Milburn Stone(Doc)
But then all he!! breaks lose when the girl starts reverting to the ape.
There’s hope for Big Mike...
NO, the brain would have to decrease in size to vote democrat.
Congo?
This was in Chricton’s book “NeXT”. And no it didn’t end well.
No. Regrettably this will be the end of monkeykind when they see how good the the democrats are are flinging poo. It will depress them to no end that they are are only amateurs.
Dumb English question, but isn’t “future predictive” in English accomplished by
“will” and “going to” (or “fixin to”
Like:
Sara will not sing at shul tomorrow.
Sara is going to read at shul tomorrow.
English: Sara will not sing at shul tomorrow.
Hebrew: Sara will not have sung at shul tomorrow.
It's a subtle distinction, but reporting having seen or not seen a future event as if one had already observed it (past tense) is different than merely thinking it's likely to happen.
To the best of my, once again, rather limited understanding of English (I've only been speaking it for about 65 years, still have a LOT to learn!) the only place something like this appears in English is in the translations of the Bible. The various Prophets report ...I saw..., ...it was..., ...I heard...
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.