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a section of a rat brain is imaged in dull green. a much brighter green human organoid takes up a large portion of the left side of the brain.
Researchers Transplant Human Neurons into Rat Brains
The human cells, engineered to respond to blue light, influenced rat behavior when stimulated.
Researchers Transplant Human Neurons into Rat Brains
Researchers Transplant Human Neurons into Rat Brains

The human cells, engineered to respond to blue light, influenced rat behavior when stimulated.

The human cells, engineered to respond to blue light, influenced rat behavior when stimulated.

bioethics, neuroscience

Cover of When Animals Dream: A colourful illustration of an octopus.<br><br>
Book Excerpt from When Animals Dream
David M. Peña-Guzmán | Aug 25, 2022 | 3 min read
In Chapter 1, “The Science of Animal Dreams,” author David M. Peña-Guzmán relays the history of researchers digging into the mental realities of nonhuman brains.
Cover of When Animals Dream: A colourful illustration of an octopus.<br><br>
Opinion: Animal Dreaming Should Give Us Ethical Pause
David M. Peña-Guzmán | Aug 15, 2022 | 4 min read
Research shows that humans aren’t the only animals whose imaginations run wild while they sleep.
Octopus in tank lined with black dots
Do Invertebrates Have Emotions?
Natalia Mesa, PhD | May 26, 2022 | 10+ min read
And how do scientists go about answering that question?
Great Minds Don't Think Alike
Opinion: Bridging the Intellectual Divide
Marcelo Gleiser | Dec 1, 2021 | 3 min read
To solve modern problems, we must integrate the sciences and the humanities and think across these traditionally disparate disciplines.
ethics, bioethics, brain organoid, chimera, cell transplant, Q&A, report, NIH, NAS, neuroscience, Techniques, disease & medicine, immunology, psychiatric conditions
New Report Dissects Ethics of Emerging Human Brain Cell Models
Amanda Heidt | Apr 12, 2021 | 5 min read
The National Academies’ report touches on ethical issues raised by new technologies such as brain organoids and human-animal chimeras, and suggests that current regulatory oversight is sufficient.
Organoids Don’t Accurately Model Human Brain Development
Diana Kwon | Oct 23, 2019 | 5 min read
A new study suggests that growing in a stressful environment prevents “brains-in-a-dish” from growing in the same way as their in vivo counterparts.
The Human Brain: Blessing and Curse
Bob Grant | Oct 1, 2019 | 3 min read
Our brains are mysterious, fragile, and mischievous. That’s what makes them fascinating.
As Brain Organoids Mature, Ethical Questions Arise
Ashley Yeager | Aug 1, 2018 | 6 min read
Inserting human “mini-brains” into rodents has the potential to broaden scientists’ understanding of neurological disease, but raises quandaries about consciousness.
Researchers Succeed in Keeping Disembodied Pig Brains Alive
Catherine Offord | May 1, 2018 | 2 min read
The organs showed neural activity for up to 36 hours, adding fuel to discussions about the ethics of future neuroscientific research.
Hot Off the Presses
Bob Grant | Aug 1, 2016 | 3 min read
Idiot Brain, Wild Sex, Why Diets Make Us Fat, and The Ethics of Invention
Bioethics Leader Dies
Jenny Rood | Mar 25, 2015 | 2 min read
Philosopher John Arras, who tackled thorny issues in medical care, has passed away at age 69.
Minding Research Ethics
Tracy Vence | May 14, 2014 | 2 min read
The Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues advises the integration of ethics into research on the human brain.
Capsule Reviews
Annie Gottlieb | Jul 1, 2013 | 3 min read
Denial, Probably Approximately Correct, Permanent Present Tense, and Against Their Will
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