While cloning animals has been a reality since Dolly the sheep in 1996, cloning humans remains biologically difficult and ethically controversial.
But the topic is back in the spotlight as a billionaire-backed startup, named R3 Rio, has announced plans to develop “non-sentient monkey organ sacks.”
As reported wired, These non-sentient primate structures would include all vital organs except the brain. These structures will be intended to serve as a source for donor tissues and a suitable alternative to animal testing.
However, according to MIT Technology Review If one examines the startups and their objectives more closely, the findings are more troubling.
Beyond organ harvesting, the startup’s ultimate goal is reportedly to create humans without brains, calling them “mindless clones,” according to investigative reports.
The primary objective of this project is to provide a biological vessel for brain transplantation, allowing old and terminally ill individuals to restore their consciousness and resettle into a new youthful body.
By ensuring that the brains of these clones never develop, the company aims to avoid the ethical and legal hassles surrounding the creation of sentient life for harvesting, although the concept remains undeniably untenable.
R3 Bio’s founder, John Schloendorn, and official statements from the company deny active plans to develop brainless clones.
The company said in a statement that its founder “never made any statements regarding the hypothetical ‘non-sentient human clone’ that would be carried by surrogates”. Technical Review.
However, company co-founder Alice Gilman said, “The team reserves the right to have hypothetical futuristic discussions about brainless human clones.”
But, experts are highly skeptical about this concept as according to them human cloning is not only biologically impossible but also ethically highly controversial.
