A gene called "ARHGAP11B" that is found in humans and in no other animal has long been thought to be at least partially responsible for humans having an extremely large brain with a high degree of cortical folding. All other primates have a similar gene, but a point mutation happened between 500,000 and 1.5 million years ago and a single C was changed to a G in the human version. In yesterday's issue of the journal Science researchers report than when Genetic engineering was used to insert the human gene ARHGAP11B into the fertilized egg of a small monkey (a marmoset ) the result was a fetus with about 45% more neurons in the neocortex than a normal fetus and 3 times as many glial cells. A marmoset gestation period is 152 days but because it had a human gene in it the fetus was aborted after just 101 days due to ethical guidelines, so it's not known how such an animal's behavior would change if it was allowed to come to term.
So one gene made it necessary to abort because it might have a humaness...which you must not abort because humaness implies a soul?? How did our ethical guidelines become so irrational?
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> insert additional copies of the ARHGAP11B gene to create super-smart babies. The question of course is, what can go wrong with this? There are potential nightmare scenarios for people so genetically engineered. Further, a sort of "brains arms race" could lead to generations of young people who are mental freaks. They might be in some ways very smart, but they could also easily be emotionally dysfunctional or mentally ill. My brother was a plant molecular biologist and geneticist and I used to have arguments over this. I am not entirely against genetic modification, but I think great care and caution is in order. My brother was more laissez faire about this.
I wonder how it would affect a dog? I'll be there would be a market for smarter dogs. And where there's a market, there's a way.
Brent
LC
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People with malignant behavioral disorders, such as narcissism, psychopathy and borderline disorders are a problem for not just themselves, but all of us. BTW, I was in a relationship with a woman with borderline disorder. It was exhausting. These problems stem from the neocortical and limbic regions of the brain being out of proper synchronicity. We start designing brains and you can be sure human wreckage will be all around us.
It is a matter of industry and economics and not science. We can do plenty of science in space without astronauts. In fact rather little science comes from putting people in space.
If we do have some trajectory into space it is possible genetic reengineering of Homo sapiens may become necessary. Brave New World may become reality.