Stories
Slash Boxes
Comments

SoylentNews is people

posted by cmn32480 on Thursday August 20 2015, @06:49AM   Printer-friendly
from the now-there's-an-idea dept.

The Guardian is reporting that the first (almost) fully formed human brain has been grown in a lab. Note, no paper or data has yet been published, but...

An almost fully-formed human brain has been grown in a lab for the first time, claim scientists from Ohio State University. The team behind the feat hope the brain could transform our understanding of neurological disease.

Though not conscious the miniature brain, which resembles that of a five-week-old foetus, could potentially be useful for scientists who want to study the progression of developmental diseases. It could also be used to test drugs for conditions such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, since the regions they affect are in place during an early stage of brain development.

Is it thinking?

The ethical concerns were non-existent, said Rene Anand of Ohio State University. "We don't have any sensory stimuli entering the brain. This brain is not thinking in any way."

Personally I'd like to see it hooked up to an fMRI just to check.


Original Submission

 
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.
Display Options Threshold/Breakthrough Mark All as Read Mark All as Unread
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.
  • (Score: 2) by RedBear on Thursday August 20 2015, @11:35PM

    by RedBear (1734) on Thursday August 20 2015, @11:35PM (#225620)

    Well, I suppose even fetuses have dreams of a sort. There's something in there. I just don't believe it will be recognizable as a human consciousness or necessarily be experiencing either enjoyment or discomfort as we would perceive it. But there's only one way to know for sure. How fascinating it would be to grow one for a few years and then hook up some inputs and outputs and try to communicate with it.

    Picard and Dathon, at El-Adrel.

    --
    ¯\_ʕ◔.◔ʔ_/¯ LOL. I dunno. I'm just a bear.
    ... Peace out. Got bear stuff to do. 彡ʕ⌐■.■ʔ
    Starting Score:    1  point
    Karma-Bonus Modifier   +1  

    Total Score:   2