CARTA: Imagination and Human Origins: Alysson Muotri - Reconstructing the Neanderthal Mind in a Dish

Alysson Muotri of UC San Diego's Stem Cell Program discusses his work creating cortical organoids from modern humans as well as organoids with genetic characteristics similar to Neanderthal to compare differences in neural development. Recorded on 06/01/2018. [10/2018] [Show ID: 33815]
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[@BillySugger1965]

I have an issue with drawing conclusions from this work. Using CISPR to insert Neanderthal genes into modern human cells seems analogous to putting a few Chevy parts into a Ford engine, and then comparing how that hybrid runs compared to a pure Ford. This doesn’t tell you how a Chevy compares to a Ford, but how a bastardised engine runs compared to one with a consistent set of parts. The conclusion then would be that a hybridised organoid performs differently from one with an evolved, self-consistent genome. From this talk, if not this work, people are going to draw conclusions that Neanderthals had lower functionality than modern humans, perhaps even similar in capability to people with autism. Not only are there many highly functioning autistic people, such a conclusion is not based on reliable foundations. This kind of work troubles me deeply.

[@edogelbard1901]

I think their neandrathalized cell lines failed to mature properly because they relied on neanderthal DNA maps that have accumulated damage over time and they didn't correct for. Those errors wouldn't be there when the neanderthals were living. For example, commonly the C->I mutation which is read as a C->T mutations when sequenced by modern machines, that could knock out those genes necessary for proper cell migration.

[@whynottalklikeapirat]

I am going to add "bi-pedal" to my CV

[@vanderdole02]

Always better that tri-pedal right :)

[@FacesintheStone]

The history is in the lithic art. Unrecognizable by modern humans our evolution and history is written in the stones. 🗿

[@dougsteel7414]

Incredibly crude modelling, you'd need a regime of stimulus, learning, feedback, and consequent modulation of stimulus to determine anything about how they compare to human neurons

[@RoelCyborg]

To say modern humans are superior to Neanderthal for the fact of they had 600.000 yrs and the modern hybrid form had only 30.000 years is ludicrous . A Major difference between Neanderthal times and the modern humans times is of coarse over population which has the biggest impact on human developments .just imagine each family living 20 of humans ten or 100 miles apart, how would new finding be preserved . now imagine modern humans living at arm length together . . Also i think lots of the development where again of overpopulation isues like power struggles like wars ,gaining by positioning for power or for filling needs to benefit ,,, so i say the comparison is ludicrous , so over populating the negatives the " wars" vs the positive "findings and developments"

[@totally...124]

Different dosen't mean defect... using humans as mesuare it's not that good..

[@vanderdole02]

We as a spieces still remember the Neanderthalers, in out ferrytales…, remember the ferrytales about the giant, strongman or cyclops ( eyeridges!), that lives in a cave with his wife, and eats hymans, he can talk, is very strong, but is very different from us, and strange and dangerous.., all Eurasian cultures have these ferrytales..

[@miranda9691]

There is a big chance that classical people found their big bones laying around too

[@Tipi_Dan]

And the Neandertal in us still remembers the tall slender southern interlopers who came with their enchantments, and diseases.

[@Tipi_Dan]

Fascinating. Except all you can say about the development of the pseudo-Neandertal brain tissue is that it behaved and developed that way "under laboratory conditions". You are very far indeed from understanding embryonic development in genuine Neandertals under natural conditions, and so far also from understanding postnatal development of the Neandertal brain (and character?) as grown within the environment they inhabited.

[@Madferreiro]

This work has an equal measure of fascinating and creepy. Putting organic brain on machines... gosh... that sure creeps me out. How conscious are those brains? I would not like to live like that. Still mixing machine learning, gene manipulation, neural cell growth and so many other edge technologies is something only brazilian doctors can do.

[@miranda9691]

Thats fucking creep, the organoid machine

[@GumpContender]

amazing

[@mariakatariina8751]

It is strictly forbade and prohibited to "neanderthalize" or otherwisely genetically manipulate people, or human-animal mutants, or cyborgs via CRISPR-Cas9 or via any other means of GMO.

[@derrickduncan3495]

Karinka Maria by whom?

[@IvanDmitriev1]

By Karinka.

[@mariakatariina8751]

No need to believe ;) This is not my wall. Do your own research.

[@reinerwilhelms-tricarico344]

It should not be allowed. There is hardly anything positive that could come out of that. We can’t even organise a half way decent society with the existing model of modern human. I fear that manipulation of the human genome to create some idea of an Übermensch will just add hundreds new possible paths to an extinction event.

[@pedropires6138]

professor brasileiro! demais

[@IvanDmitriev1]

And there are genes for detecting rotten berries, of course :)

[@Awesomeflame16]

Really hope this is continued

[@TheAussieRod]

Wow can't wait for the outcome

[@stuartdryer1352]

Really creative work.

[@lylemccullough908]

The song king of the road came to me when I saw the the thumbnail