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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.


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  • (Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 21 2015, @12:31AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 21 2015, @12:31AM (#225627)

    "I suppose Epsilons don't really mind being Epsilons," she said aloud.

    "Of course they don't. How can they? They don't know what it's like being anything else. We'd mind, of course. But then we've been differently conditioned. Besides, we start with a different heredity."

    "I'm glad I'm not an Epsilon," said Lenina, with conviction.

    "And if you were an Epsilon," said Henry, "your conditioning would have made you no less thankful that you weren't a Beta or an Alpha."

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