Uh-Oh, Scientists Used Human Genes to Make Monkey Brains Bigger

[swamidass (S. Joshua Swamidass)]

Uh-Oh, Scientists Used Human Genes to Make Monkey Brains Bigger

Where are the ethical lines here?

[sfmatheson]

This piece refers to transgenic primates as “human-monkey hybrids.”

Best to skip this one.

[sfmatheson]

Discussed on the forum 5 months ago.

Study suggests a single point mutation facilitated increase in human brain size

(This thread previously had a title that erroneously stated that brain size tripled).

[swamidass (S. Joshua Swamidass)]

Yes, the mutation was discussed before, but was the monkey study discussed?

I suppose a marmoset is a monkey…

[sfmatheson]

Same study. The PM piece links to the 5-month-old paper. You commented on ethics back then.

Study suggests a single point mutation facilitated increase in human brain size

@pnelson and @Faizal_Ali, they are concerned that these marmosets will have much higher functioning brains, which might alter the ethical calculus of their experiments. That’s the unforeseen consequences they fear. There are ethical guidelines specifically on humanizing the brains of animals for this reason. Of course, a point mutation is going to be stability heritable. That has nothing to do with this. Their concern is the opposite of @pnelson, that this mutation might be more effective (not less) than they imagine. Perhaps they are wrong but this isn’t evidence for @pnelson’s objection.

[swamidass (S. Joshua Swamidass)]

Yes, I do remember that now. That objection from Paul was difficult to understand…

[Roy (30-year veteran)]

@swamidass

https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/animals/a34690565/scientists-splice-human-genes-into-monkey-brains/

Where are the ethical lines here?

Samuel L Jackson would be the appropriate person to ask.

[Rumraket (Mikkel R.)]

@sfmatheson

This piece refers to transgenic primates as “human-monkey hybrids.”

Yeah I was about to channel Jack Nicholson.

“Is there another kind?”

[T_aquaticus]

@swamidass

Where are the ethical lines here?

They only studied fetuses, so that avoids some of the ethical problems.

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.”

https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/animals/a34690565/scientists-splice-human-genes-into-monkey-brains/