Chinese scientist edited monkey genome with human brain gene

[stroopwafel]

So, this is pretty weird but a Chinese scientist in his quest to figure out what makes us human has 'succesfully' edited the genome of a rhesus monkey with the gene microcephalin, involved in brain growth and memory skills. And apparently there were some results, brain took longer to develop(mimicking that of human foetal growth) and the edited monkeys also had better memory skills and faster reaction times.

These kind of experiments are definitely animal abuse imo and it's good they are forbidden in Europe/U.S. but we'll probably see more weird shit coming from countries with zero ethical considerations, espescially since this isn't the first time CRISPR-Cas is used unethically(like with the twins for example, also in China).

The Chinese scientist now seems to have his eye set on SRGAP2C, a two million years old DNA variant dubbed the 'humanity switch' for it's role as the missing link in the emergence of human intelligence.

Idk but since monkeys and humans are about 97% genetically similar I don't think you get the same result by editing a monkey genome with an evolutionary end product that took millions of years to develop and separated the species. But who knows, maybe it will? CRISPr-Cas is a pretty scary tool in the wrong hands imo.

https://www.technologyreview.com/s/613277/chinese-scientists-have-put-human-brain-genes-in-monkeysand-yes-they-may-be-smarter/

 

[twistedmic]

Moral and ethical questions/violations aside, splicing human genes into any animal to make them smarter seems like a very bad idea. Like a 'beginning of the end', 'architect of their own destruction' kind of bad idea. Sure, I might be a little paranoid and there's probably very little chance of creating a race of super-monkeys, but screwing around with cross-species genetics night accidentally create some insanely deadly super virus or medication-resistant disease.

 

[Marik2]

This will be our planet of the apes.

 

[skywolfblue]

Moral and ethical questions/violations aside, splicing human genes into any animal to make them smarter seems like a very bad idea. Like a 'beginning of the end', 'architect of their own destruction' kind of bad idea. Sure, I might be a little paranoid and there's probably very little chance of creating a race of super-monkeys, but screwing around with cross-species genetics night accidentally create some insanely deadly super virus or medication-resistant disease.

I agree, cross-species genetics really will open pandora's box.

One of the things that makes life so resilient here on Earth is biodiversity. If 9 species of frog die to a virus, there is probably 1 species out there that is immune.

If we take that into our own hands and start manufacturing our own species by the thousands, that biodiversity that served as a shield will disappear.

So if a pack of super-smart monkeys escapes the lab, out competes the other monkeys in the wild, all the other monkeys die. Then along comes a virus, and since all the lab monkeys have the same genetics, none of them have immunity, they ALL die.

Global warming is already putting us on track for the next "Great Dying", we shouldn't be endangering our planet's biodiversity even farther.

 

[CrazyGirl17]

Well this has potential to go horribly wrong... has no one seen the Planet of the Apes reboot movies?!

 

[Gordon_4_v1legacy]

This will be our planet of the apes.

Well this has potential to go horribly wrong... has no one seen the Planet of the Apes reboot movies?!

You maniacs! You blew it up!

 

[Marik2]

This will be our planet of the apes.

Well this has potential to go horribly wrong... has no one seen the Planet of the Apes reboot movies?!

You maniacs! You blew it up!

Take your stinking paws off me you damn dirty ape!

 

[Hawki]

This will be our planet of the apes.

Well this has potential to go horribly wrong... has no one seen the Planet of the Apes reboot movies?!

You maniacs! You blew it up!

Take your stinking paws off me you damn dirty ape!

Damn you! Damn you all to hell!

 

[Specter Von Baren]

This will be our planet of the apes.

Well this has potential to go horribly wrong... has no one seen the Planet of the Apes reboot movies?!

You maniacs! You blew it up!

Take your stinking paws off me you damn dirty ape!

Damn you! Damn you all to hell!

It's a mad house! A mad house!

 

[davidmc1158_v1legacy]

I, for one, am looking forward to living in the mutant animal After the Bomb universe.

http://palladium-store.com/1001/product/503-After-the-Bomb-RPG.html

Who couldn't do with some teenage mutant ninja turtles, after all?

 

[Satinavian]

This kind of experiments is necessary if we ever want to really get on with Transhumanism and modifying humans. Of course the techniques have to be developed on animals.

Problem is that this seems to be not really a breakthrough so far if the paper had problems getting published.

 

[Catfood220]

Well this has potential to go horribly wrong... has no one seen the Planet of the Apes reboot movies?!

Pfft, so much negativity. I choose to see it like this.

 

[PsychedelicDiamond]

Realistically, how close are we to genetically engineered catgirls? You know. Just asking.

 

[Chimpzy_v1legacy]

As a Professor of Monkey Business, I find this news ape-paling. Apekind is fine as it is. Don't need your gross human genes.

Will be prepping several ICBP's to fling at those scientists.

 

[Majestic_Manatee]

After playing Stellaris, I am emboldened with the knowledge this can only lead to betterment of humankind and their expansion across the galaxy, then the universe.

 

[Agema]

As a Professor of Monkey Business, I find this news appaling.

Don't you mean ape-palling?

After playing Stellaris, I am emboldened with the knowledge this can only lead to betterment of humankind and their expansion across the galaxy, then the universe.

Maybe. For me it led to some sort of extremist post-species modification that then caused all manner of race friction and rising levels of xenophobia in my otherwise harmonious empire.

Which reminds me - has Stellaris fixed that pop growth mechanic that absurdly over-favours minorities? I let a handful of stragglers fleeing galactic tyranny into my empire and twenty years later they had gone from ~1% to ~30% of my empire's population. Had to mod the files to get rid of that but every update kept reverting it.

 

[McElroy]

I'll give it five years and anime will be real.

 

[Grouchy Imp_v1legacy]

Knowing some of the humans I know, I'm forced to wonder if the monkey actually got a downgrade.

 

[Gethsemani_v1legacy]

Which reminds me - has Stellaris fixed that pop growth mechanic that absurdly over-favours minorities? I let a handful of stragglers fleeing galactic tyranny into my empire and twenty years later they had gone from ~1% to ~30% of my empire's population. Had to mod the files to get rid of that but every update kept reverting it.

Sort of. They changed the mechanic so that you could change if a race would be allowed to reproduce at all and you can manually set which race should be produced on any given planet. The problem was that the latter led to a ton of micromanagement if you wanted a particular mix of races on a planet (say 30/70 Overlord race and Slave race). At least you don't have to see your empire's economy go down the drain anymore because the game was insistent on populating desert worlds with arctic world species.

 

[Chimpzy_v1legacy]

As a Professor of Monkey Business, I find this news appaling.

Don't you mean ape-palling?

Whoops, errors have been made. Not a Professor of Simian Linguistics unfortunately. Will fix.

Knowing some of the humans I know, I'm forced to wonder if the monkey actually got a downgrade.

There's no if there.