Critters as smart as people? ... ...say it ain't so!!! |
Posted on 07/23/2005 9:17:22 PM PDT by Iam1ru1-2
Scientists have been warned that their latest experiments may accidently produce monkeys with brains more human than animal.
In cutting-edge experiments, scientists have injected human brain cells into monkey fetuses to study the effects. Critics argue that if these fetuses are allowed to develop into self-aware subjects, science will be thrown into an ethical nightmare.
An eminent committee of American scientists will call for restrictions into the research, saying the outcome of such studies cannot be predicted and may in fact produce subjects with a 'super-animal' intelligence.
The high-powered committee of animal behaviourists, lawyers, philosophers, bio-ethicists and neuro-scientists was established four years ago to examine the growing numbers of human/monkey experiments.
These procedures, known as 'human-primate chimeras', involve the combination of human and monkey cells, tissue and DNA to observe any effect and examine the possibility that such combination could actually exist.
Chimeras are mythical monsters from Greek literature, which combined various bodyparts from lions, goats nd snakes.
This team will soon publish its conclusions in leading journal Science. In the report the committee will address such unsettling questions as whether introducing human cells into non-human primate brains could cause "significant physical or biochemical changes that make the brain more human-like" and how those changes could be detected.
The committee will also examine how detectable differences in the monkey's brains, for example emotional or behavioural changes, or if the monkeys developed 'self awareness', could be measured - and dealt with.
"What we were trying to do was anticipate - recognising that if science were to take that path there might be some different kinds of moral challenges." said committee co-chairman Dr Ruth Faden, a professor in biomedical ethics.
Don't we already have a lot of these in Congress?
Planet of the Apes: just a thought.
Naw. These are monkeys. It would be 'Planet of the Monkeys.'
Damn dirty ape alert.
God is not gonna' like this one bit.
Critters as smart as people? ......say it ain't so!!! |
I wonder if they will be friends with all the monkey-brained humans?
Futurama already covered this with an episode featuring a monkey named Gunter.
it would be better to experiment with primate fetal stem cells for the possible benefit of mankind.....nobody but peta would complain.
This is really disturbing.
There was speculation that something of the sort happened about 10 years ago.
http://www.chron.com/content/chronicle/metropolitan/97/01/12/oliver.2-0.html
Now if they would only do the same thing with our elected officials, and most of Hollywood.....
"The committee will also examine how detectable differences in the monkey's brains, for example emotional or behavioural changes, or if the monkeys developed 'self awareness', could be measured "
How's about asking the monkey what is the sound of one hand clapping? If it can answer, it then becomes Mr. Zen-Monkey.
Having reached such a level of awareness, the ABA will have to decide if it could be qualified as a Judge anywhere outside FloriDUH.
And you know this because you have researched it for yourself and found it to be fulls*it, RIGHT? Or is your opinion also based on Bullsh*t?
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