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Scientists in China may have created a new type of monkey – and with it a great ethical dilemma. The researchers inserted a gene from the human brain into monkeys as part of an experiment likely to cross the threads of human and animal intelligence.
A study published last month in the journal "National Science Review" in Beijing describes the experiment, described as "the first attempt at experimental interrogation of the genetic bases of the origin of the human brain at the time." 'a transgenic monkey model', and values the use of non-human primates to understand unique traits. "
The researchers inserted copies of the human gene MCPH1, essential for brain development, into 11 monkey embryos via a virus carrying the gene. Six of the monkeys are dead. The other five, however, showed apparent progress in their cognitive functions.
According to the study, these five monkeys did not show much difference in their overall behavior or in the size of their brains. But they did have brain tests and memory tests that showed improvements in their short-term memory, reaction times, and brain development.
The study indicates that monkeys have "the potential to provide important – and potentially unique – information on the fundamental issues of what makes humans unique, as well as clinically relevant disorders and phenotypes, such as neurodegenerative and social behavior difficult to study other means. "
But the study also sparked a debate about genetic modification of animals and whether such experiments could lead to even more extreme changes. This also raised questions about what would happen to animals with human intelligence, as they are not equipped to survive.
"The use of transgenic monkeys to study human genes related to the evolution of the brain is a very risky pathway," said James Sikela, a geneticist who had conducted similar studies with primates at the University of Michigan. University of Colorado. "This is a classic slippery slope problem and can be expected to recur as this type of research continues."
The geneticist who led the study said that he was already working on larger experiments on human and animal intelligence. Bing Su, a geneticist from the Kunming Institute of Zoology, told MIT Technology Review that he had added a variant of the DNA called SRGAP2C, which is a crucial link for the company. emergence of human intelligence, in apes. He said the results of these studies were yet to come.
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