Chinese scientists implant human brain genes in MONKEYS in controversial study on the evolution of intelligence
- In study, researchers planted human versions of MCPH1 gene in rhesus monkeys
- This gene is thought to play an important role in the development of human brain
- Those with gene did perform better in memory and reaction tests than others
- But, brains did not grow bigger than control group, and just 1 survived to testing
A new study into the unique evolution of human intelligence has raised ethical concerns after Chinese scientists implanted human brain genes into monkeys to boost their development.
Researchers inserted human versions of MCPH1, a gene that scientists believe plays a role in the development of the human brain, into 11 rhesus monkeys.
They found the monkeys’ brains — like those of humans — took longer to develop, and the animals performed better in tests of short-term memory as well as reaction time compared to wild monkeys.
However, the monkeys did not grow bigger brains than the control group.
The test, the latest in a series of biomedical experiments in China to have fuelled medical ethics debates, has already drawn ethical concerns, and comparisons with dystopian sci-fi ‘Planet of the Apes’.
The researchers said the rhesus monkey, though genetically closer to humans than rodents, is still distant enough to alleviate ethical concerns. File photo
It was conducted by researchers at the Kunming Institute of Zoology and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, working with US researchers at the University of North Carolina.
The study was published last month in Beijing-based journal National Science Review.
‘Our findings demonstrated that transgenic nonhuman primates (excluding ape species) have the potential to provide important — and potentially unique — insights into basic questions of what actually makes human unique,’ the authors wrote.
The monkeys underwent memory tests requiring them to remember colours and shapes on a screen, and were subjected to MRI scans.
Only five of the monkeys survived into the testing stage.
The authors said the rhesus monkey, though genetically closer to humans than rodents, is still distant enough to alleviate ethical concerns. However, some questioned the ethics of the experiment.
‘You just go to the ‘Planet of the Apes’ immediately in the popular imagination,’ said Jacqueline Glover, a University of Colorado bioethicist.
‘To humanise them is to cause harm. Where would they live and what would they do? Do not create a being that can’t have a meaningful life in any context,’ she told MIT Technology Review.
Larry Baum, a researcher at Hong Kong University’s Centre for Genomic Sciences, downplayed sci-fi comparisons.
‘The genome of rhesus monkeys differs from ours by a few percent. That’s millions of individual DNA bases differing between humans and monkeys,’ he said.
‘This study changed a few of those in just one of about 20,000 genes. You can decide for yourself whether there is anything to worry about.’
The graphs above show how the chances that resulted from the gene implant, including (D) the change of relative brain volume (measured by the total brain volume divided by body weight) during development, (E) cortex thickness , (F) cortex gray matter volume and ratio and (G) the change of cortex white matter volume and ratio during brain development
Baum added that the study supported the theory that ‘slower maturity of brain cells might be a factor in improving intelligence during human evolution.’
In January, Chinese scientists unveiled five macaques cloned from a single animal that was genetically engineered to have a sleep disorder, which all developed signs of mental problems including depression, anxiety and behaviours linked to schizophrenia.
They said the study was intended to aid research into human psychological problems.
And last year, Chinese researcher He Jiankui shocked the scientific community after revealing that he had successfully gene-edited twin girls born in November to prevent them from contracting HIV.
HOW HAS THE SHAPE OF OUR BRAINS EVOLVED OVER TIME?
New research suggests key evolutionary changes in our brain shape occurred 100,000-35,000 years ago. Stock image
Researchers at Germany’s Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology discovered that key evolutionary changes in our brain shape occurred roughly 100,000 to 35,000 years ago
The Homo sapiens brain took on a globe-like shape that’s ’rounder and less overhanging’
By contrast, our Neanderthal ancestors’ brains had a more elongated shape
The evolution of our brain shape coincided with major developments in behavior, as Homo sapiens began to:
- Build tools
- Develop a working and long-term memory
- Possess self-awareness
- Use language
- Plan activities
- Understand numbers
- Pay attention to their surroundings
- Develop emotions
The brain began to look more like a globe as a result of bulging in the parietal area and the cerebellum
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