Scientists insert human genes into monkey brains to make them bigger and have more wrinkles

The researchers inserted human genes into the monkey brains. They claimed that this experiment caused the animals’ brains to expand and more wrinkles to appear.

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A macaque monkey grabs knives while working with a trainer at Qilingang Monkey Farm on February 2, 2016 in Baowan Village, Xinye County, Henan Province, China. The area boasts a centuries-old and profitable history of breeding and training monkeys for performance. In Xinye, villagers are seeing a surge in business with the “Year of the Monkey” on the lunar calendar. Farmers say most of the monkeys are bred and raised for domestic zoos, circuses and show groups, but add that some are also sold for medical research in China and the United States. Despite the popularity of the tradition, critics argue that the training methods and conditions constitute cruelty to animals.

Scientists used the gene called ARHGAP11B. They said the experiment led to a larger neocortex in the fetus of common marmoset monkeys.

To help you understand what’s going on, the neocortex is the deeply grooved outer layer of the brain. It is also the party involved with the language, rrelaxation, conscious thinking and other essential functions of an animal or human being.

According to the latest New York Post report, the “Planet of the Apes” -like experiment made monkey brains more human-like as they now have more advanced neocortexes.

The monkey brains have doubled in size

The brain mimics the natural bumps and indentations in the human brain. These are called sulci and gyri.

They are evolutionary traits in humans that increase the surface area of ​​neurons or nerve cells. This can be compared to the famous movie “Planet of the Apes”, which is about genetically modified primates waging war on humanity.

(Photo: Photo by Mark Kolbe / Getty Images)
A chimpanzee looks out of an enclosure after the Sydney Zoo’s official opening ceremony on December 6, 2019 in Sydney, Australia. Sydney Zoo, located in Bungarribee Park in western Sydney, is the first new zoo built in Sydney in more than 100 years. The Zoo will open to the public on 7 December 2019.

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Around the hundredth day of the experiments, scientists found that the animals’ brains had doubled in size.

“We found that the neocortex of the common marmoset brain was enlarged and the surface of the brain folded,” said Michael Heide, the study’s author at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, via The Daily Mail UK.

“[We also saw] increase in the number of upper-layer neurons, the type of neuron that increases in the evolution of primates, “he added.

Will it make them smarter?

Scientists haven’t yet confirmed whether increasing brain size will make these primates smarter. However, the results are very promising as the human neocortex is about three times the size of chimpanzees, man’s closest relatives.

The findings contradict the normal brain development of marmosets as their brains are usually smoother and smaller than the human brain. Researchers believe that ARHGAP11B also played an important role in human evolution.

At the moment, no one yet knows what these monkeys can do until they reach adulthood.

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Written by: Giuliano de Leon

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