"Human-Brained" Monkeys

["David Farber" <dave () farber net>]

-----Original Message-----
From: "Randall"<rvh40 () insightbb com>
Sent: 13/07/05 10:12:46 PM
To: "Dave"<dave () farber net>
Cc: "JMG"<johnmacsgroup () yahoogroups com>
Subject: "Human-Brained" Monkeys

http://tinyurl.com/8ajqt

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.

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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. 



-- 
"We've got the hatemongers who literally hate this president, and that
is so wrong. . . . The people who hate George Bush hate him because he's
a follower of Jesus Christ, unashamedly says so and applies his faith in
his day-to-day operations." -- Rev. Jerry Falwell, on C-SPAN's "Washington Journal"


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