International team creates first chimeric human-monkey embryos Image of one of the chimeric human-monkey embryos.
Salk Institute for Biological Studies
A team of scientists from the U.S., China, and Spain reported Thursday they have created the first embryos that were part human and part monkey and kept them alive for up to 20 days in laboratory dishes.
The ethically controversial creation of chimeras containing cells from multiple species is part of a drive to make experimental models to help scientists better understand early development, devise new treatments for human disease, and possibly find methods to grow organs for transplant inside other animals, such as pigs or sheep. Such chimeras can be used in experiments that can’t be done with human embryos, for example, but combining human cells with those of primates ushers in new and urgent ethical concerns.
Studies that make brainlike structures or add human cells to animal brains are ethical, for now, panel says
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Studies that make brainlike structures or add human cells to animal brains are ethical, panel says
sciencemag.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from sciencemag.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Researchers create a molecular catalog that describes different types of neurons
Retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) are the bottleneck through which all visual impressions flow from the retina to the brain. A team from the Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology, University of California Berkeley and Harvard University created a molecular catalog that describes the different types of these neurons. In this way, individual RGC types could be systematically studied and linked to a specific connection, function and behavioral response.
When zebrafish see light, they often swim towards it. Same with prey, although the signals are entirely different. A predator, on the other hand, prompts the fish to escape. That s good, because a mix-up would have fatal consequences. But how does the brain manage to react to a visual stimulus with the proper behavior?