this post was submitted on 19 Apr 2025
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Stem cells were grown and then connected to brass plates.

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[–] ptz@dubvee.org 183 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (2 children)

Black Mirror. Should. Not. Be. A. Roadmap.

Cunk on Earth also did a similar bit with Beethoven.

Does Charlie Brooker have some kind of enchanted typewriter that can influence the world or something?

[–] BallShapedMan@lemmy.world 11 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Milly Cirus is a trend setter.

[–] AJ1@lemmy.ca 1 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Milly Cirus is a trend setter.

*Molly Circus

[–] pirat@lemmy.world 1 points 1 week ago

*Moldy Carcass

[–] graff@lemm.ee 4 points 1 week ago

Hell may exist only in our imagination, but humans have this uncanny ability to create what they can imagine

[–] aeronmelon@lemmy.world 76 points 1 week ago (6 children)

I hope to all holy fuck it’s not conscious.

[–] MadMadBunny@lemmy.ca 74 points 1 week ago (2 children)

"I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream"

[–] tigeruppercut@lemmy.zip 31 points 1 week ago (1 children)

It's a few cerebral cells across a mesh-- I think achieving consciousness needs a bit more than that

[–] prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone 40 points 1 week ago (4 children)

I think achieving consciousness needs a bit more than that

Good thing nobody knows for sure!

[–] SplashJackson@lemmy.ca 13 points 1 week ago (1 children)

nobody knows for sure!

But I intend to find out!

ReBoot!!!

[–] HubertManne@piefed.social 4 points 1 week ago

that takes me back.

[–] Cethin@lemmy.zip 2 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Well, we do know for sure it'd take more than this. We don't know what it would take, but this is far beyond the minimum it could take. If that's all it is then almost every form of life on Earth would have to be assumed to be conscious.

(Sentience is actually the word we are talking about).

[–] bacon_saber@fedia.io 1 points 1 week ago

Hey, let's ask it!

[–] HawlSera@lemm.ee 0 points 1 week ago

The soul exists. Trust.

[–] brsrklf@jlai.lu 15 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Don't worry too much, it's not even part of his actual brain. It's a bunch of random brain cells grown from a DNA sample.

If we could make new conscious lifeforms from this, Blade Runner would be a documentary already.

[–] AJ1@lemmy.ca 13 points 1 week ago

according to the article it's a tiny smattering of brain cells grown from stem cells derived from his blood, which he donated before he died specifically for this experiment. it is in no way conscious.

[–] Quilotoa@lemmy.ca 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

We'll never know until it starts multiplying rapidly and breaks out of the lab.

[–] palordrolap@fedia.io 4 points 1 week ago

Henrietta Lacks hasn't managed it yet. Look her up. It's at least as bad as this if not more so.

"Yet" being the operative word here. There's a disease in dogs that started in some very similar circumstances (although happening in nature rather than from a science accident). One slip-up from an immunocompromised tech with just the right genetic make-up and it begins.

[–] Lembot_0001@lemm.ee -4 points 1 week ago

Why? Being dead is not cool.

[–] frezik@midwest.social 73 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Some brain cells cobbled together from stem cells that have his DNA. None of the life experiences that made his music. You could likely get similar results with the same technique using the DNA of any random person on the street.

[–] AmidFuror@fedia.io 32 points 1 week ago (1 children)
[–] sem@lemmy.blahaj.zone 14 points 1 week ago

You're telling me you used an Abnormal brain?

[–] CarbonIceDragon@pawb.social 56 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Quite the exaggerated headline from the look of it.

[–] Quilotoa@lemmy.ca 15 points 1 week ago

Yeah, I always want to clean up the headlines, but apparently it's against the rules.

[–] oce@jlai.lu 56 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (2 children)

They grew a brain organoid from his donated blood white cells that they turned into stem cells. The brain organoid produces electric impulses because that's what brain cells do. They made something artsy out of those impulses. So it's completely unrelated to whatever experience the musician could have had. DNA doesn't store acquired skills nor life memories. They could do that with anyone's cells and probably get a similar result.

[–] fishos@lemmy.world 14 points 1 week ago

Yeah, this was cool until all the steps show it's not "his brain". It's a genetic facsimile.

[–] HawlSera@lemm.ee 7 points 1 week ago

. DNA doesn’t store acquired skills nor life memories

Assassin's Creed wouldn't lie to me would it?

[–] Haus@kbin.earth 21 points 1 week ago (1 children)

More like 'decomposing', amirite, guys?

[–] bacon_saber@fedia.io 4 points 1 week ago

Read it the first time as "composting"

[–] CarbonatedPastaSauce@lemmy.world 19 points 1 week ago (1 children)

The hard truth is that there are a lot of completely un-empathetic scientists out there.

Some of the shit I saw them doing to animals when I worked for Baxter still makes me sick when I think about it. And I only had to go into that lab a couple times.

[–] entwine413@lemm.ee 9 points 1 week ago (1 children)

It's just a few cells they created on a mesh, it's not like they're using a hunk of his brain.

[–] CarbonatedPastaSauce@lemmy.world 8 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Yeah and it was just a bunch of sedated live rats pinned to little trays with their brains exposed and a bunch of shit stuck everywhere into their bodies that I had to see while working on the lab computers.

I'm not going to get into an argument about whether there's value in animal research (I think there is) but there's some horrifying shit that comes with it, and I'm just pointing out that I've directly worked with plenty of scientists that are completely unfazed by that shit. So while it may be a few cells on a mesh now, they won't stop at that.

[–] kinsnik@lemmy.world 14 points 1 week ago (1 children)

it is important to note that the article says that Alvin eagrly agreed to this experiment, and donated the blood for it. If that is true, then I don't see any ethical dillemma in here

[–] CarbonatedPastaSauce@lemmy.world 10 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

That is an important point that I missed in what I read of the article before I got grossed out. Thanks. I'm still not sure about this line of research because if (when?) they do make something that achieves a level of sentience, consciousness, or even just the ability to feel, will it be able to signal to us that it is happy, content, in agony, mental anguish, etc? The thought of being trapped in that situation is terrifying.

[–] kinsnik@lemmy.world 3 points 1 week ago

no, for sure there are limits. if you cultivated a whole functional brain, for example, would be dystopic af

[–] PNW_Doug@lemmy.world 17 points 1 week ago

Shhhh! Don't interrupt him, he's decomposing.

[–] Randomgal@lemmy.ca 12 points 1 week ago

This sounds like chatGPT with extra steps and body horror.

[–] rob_t_firefly@lemmy.world 12 points 1 week ago

My Ashley O. doll is starting to glitch out a little. Should I be worried?

[–] fossilesque@mander.xyz 8 points 1 week ago

nervous laughter

[–] NigelFrobisher@aussie.zone 5 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I notice they didn’t say it was any good.

[–] AmidFuror@fedia.io -1 points 1 week ago (1 children)

The original musician was crap, so it tracks.

[–] kinsnik@lemmy.world 3 points 1 week ago

i would not call Lucier a musican, but i do find some of his sound art interesting. 'I am sitting in a room' can be kinda meditative in an interesting way

[–] HawlSera@lemm.ee 4 points 1 week ago (1 children)

One day we will have the means to reverse every death

[–] corsicanguppy@lemmy.ca 1 points 1 week ago

I certainly hope so! I have too much to do for just one life!

[–] BobbyGasoline@lemmy.world 4 points 1 week ago

Has anyone seen the show “Pantheon“? This is getting close to it.

What could go wrong? /s * anguished screaming SFX *

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