According to some neuroscientists, human-made organelles are capable of experiencing "endless horror" at the realization that they exist separately from the body. And this needs to be stopped urgently.
Over the years, scientists have worked to create perfect cerebral organelles - simplified versions of human brains that can then be used to test new pharmaceuticals or treatments. And the news from the world of neurobiology never ceased to delight us.
So, less than a year ago, American experts reported that they had grown "mini-brains", similar to the brain of a premature baby. A little earlier, neuroscientists managed to create miniature neural structures with their own vascular network for research and implantation in patients.
Mini-brains give scientists the opportunity to study a major organ of the central nervous system and experiment on structures that more closely resemble the human brain than animal models. However, according to some scientists, although it has not yet been proven that the cerebral organoid developed consciousness and became sapient, the risks are too great to continue such experiments.
This is exactly the statement made by a group of researchers - employees of the Green Neuroscience laboratory from San Diego (USA) at the annual Neurosience 2019 conference, which is taking place these days in Chicago.
According to Ohayon, all ongoing research and experimentation in this area should be suspended until we prove that the "mini-brains" have not become intelligent and do not experience pain and "endless terror" from the knowledge that they exist separately from the body. The Green Neuroscience Lab has developed computer models to support its theory and calls for further work on this issue.
Moreover, scientists want to fund research that suggests even the slightest risk that the organoid could become intelligent - of course, only in order to stop it in time.
Maria Azarova
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