Flowers for Algernon

Eugenic Supermice

...[R]esearchers ... have conditionally knocked out a specific gene to prevent an enzyme called cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (Cdk5) from being produced, but only in the brain. This led to the mice becoming more adept at learning and also able to more quickly decipher environmental changes….

“It’s pretty rare that you make mice ‘smarter,’ so there are a lot of cognitive implications,” said Dr Bibb.

“Everything is more meaningful to these mice,” he said. “The increase in sensitivity to their surroundings seems to have made them smarter.”

The mice did have a more difficult adolescence than the “normal” mice, who bit them and pushed them off the wheel when the researcher wasn’t looking.

Posted by Søren Renner on Tuesday, May 29, 2007 at 09:39 AM in
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Comments:

Posted by Retew on May 29, 2007, 11:34 AM | #

“Flowers for Algernon” by Daniel Keyes is one of my favourite science fiction stories. I recommend it.

Posted by Friedrich Neuestier on May 29, 2007, 12:44 PM | #

Seht, ich lehre euch die Übermaus. Die Maus ist Etwas, das uberwunden werden soll!

Posted by Guessedworker on May 29, 2007, 12:54 PM | #

Ja sehe ich. Aber die gescheiten Mäuseameisen, zum der Wissenschaftler dumm zu bilden.

Posted by jp straley on May 29, 2007, 02:26 PM | #

I wrote a book a couple years ago called “Smart Kat” that takes avery similar technology (it too uses the NR2B gene) and fictionalizes it. It’s fun read, and if anyone is interested it can be purchased from a\Amazon. Reviewers: want a copy?

JP Straley

Posted by Daedalus on May 29, 2007, 02:56 PM | #

James Watson discusses a similar experiment that altered the altruism of prairie voles in DNA: The Secret of Life. It should be noted, however, that the researchers made no effort to control for supernatural interventions in the experiment by invisible angels and demons.

Posted by Daedalus on May 29, 2007, 03:54 PM | #

Newsweek has several interesting articles up that touch upon eugenics. Check them out if you haven’t already done so.

http://www.thecivicplatform.com/2007/05/29/playing-god/

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