The discussion simmers around miniature models of the human brain.
These small 3D tissue conglomerates grown from stem cells and known as brain organoids are still fairly simple. They are usually made to resemble parts of the brain, but can be combined into “assemblies” that capture multiple regions. And recently, scientists have developed methods to cultivate additional types of cells within organoids, capturing more accurate cell-cell interactions seen in the real brain.
Despite these advances, some scientists argue that organoids do not have the complexity needed to induce consciousness. It is almost defined as the state of being aware of yourself, the ability to feel the world around you, or experience emotions and sensations.
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Some experts told Live Science that they believe experimenting with conscious organoids without consideration of welfare is morally plagued. Considering that they are already studying using conscious entities, some people think it’s okay to give them a try. In other words, it’s an animal. Perhaps we could apply similar regulations to organoid studies we carry out for lab animal research, they suggested.
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