给猕猴移植人类基因，中国科学家再次轰动世界！

Chinese scientists defend implanting human gene into monkeys' brains
中国科学家为向猴子大脑植入人类基因这一举动进行辩护

来源：CNN

A baby rhesus macaque monkey looks out from the arms of its mother in Hong Kong on July 17, 2011.

2011年7月17日，在香港，一只小猕猴在妈妈臂弯里向外眺望。

Hong Kong (CNN)——A Chinese researcher who sparked improved cognitive function in monkeys by implanting human genes into their brains has defended his experiment, which has divided the scientific community.

香港(CNN)——一位中国研究人员通过将人类基因植入猴子的大脑，引起了猴子认知功能的改善。他为自己的实验进行辩护，该实验分裂了科学界。

The research, undertaken by multiple universities and led by the Kunming Institute of Zoology in southwestern China, was intended to shed more light on the evolutionary process which led to human intelligence.

这项实验由多所大学共同进行，由中国西南部的中国科学院昆明动物学研究牵头，旨在更好地解释人类智力的进化过程。

"Brain size and cognitive skills are the most dramatically changed traits in humans during evolution, and yet the genetic mechanisms underlying these human-specific changes remain elusive," said a report published on March 27 in the China-based journal National Science Review.

“是在人类进化过程中，大脑的大小和认知技能是变化最显著的特征，然而，这些人类特有的变化背后的遗传机制仍然是难以捉摸的，”一份发表在中国《国家科学评论》上的一篇报告说道。

The research paper said it was the first time such a study had taken place.

研究报告说，这是首次进行这种研究。

One of the lead researchers Su Bing, from the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Kunming Institute of Zoology, said the experiment has been reviewed by the university's ethics board and had followed not only Chinese and international best scientific practices, but also international animal rights standards.

中国科学院昆明动物园研究所的一位主要研究人员苏冰（音译）说，该实验已经得到了大学伦理委员会的审查，不仅遵循中国和国际的最佳科学实践，也遵循了国际动物权利标准。

"In the long run, such basic research will also provide valuable information for the analysis of the etiology and treatment of human brain diseases (such as autism) caused by abnormal brain development," he said in an email to CNN.

他在给CNN的一封电子邮件中说：“从长远来看，这些基础研究也将为分析大脑发育异常引起的人类大脑疾病(如自闭症)的病因和治疗提供有价值的信息。”

But scientists who have long debated the ethics of transgenic experiments on monkeys and apes have said the experiment leads researchers down a "risky road."

但长期以来，科学家们一直在讨论猴子和类人猿转基因实验的伦理问题，他们说，这项实验让研究人员走上了一条“危险的路”。

It is the second gene-related controversy to hit researchers in China in less than six months. In November a Chinese scientist claimed he had created the world's first gene-edited babies,sparking an international outcry.

在不到六个月的时间内，这是中国研究人员第二次发生和基因相关的争议。十一月，一位中国科学家声称他创造了世界上第一个基因编辑的婴儿，引起了国际社会的强烈抗议。

He claimed to have used a tool known as CRISPR-cas9 to remove the genes that made the children susceptible to HIV. Chinese authorities took a dim view of the experiment, branding it "illegal" and ordering an investigation.

他声称使用了一种名为CRISPR-Cas9的工具来去除使这些儿童易感染艾滋病病毒的基因。中国当局对这一实验持不乐观态度，给这一实验打上“非法”标签，并下令进行调查。

In Su's 2019 study, 11 rhesus monkeys were successfully implanted with copies of the human MCPH1 gene, an important marker for "brain development and brain evolution."

在苏2019年的研究中，11只猕猴成功地被植入了人类的MCPH 1复制基因，这一基因是“大脑发育和大脑进化”的重要标志。

Analysis of the monkeys' behavior and physiology showed they developed in a more human-like fashion, with better short-term memory and a faster reaction time compared to a control group.

对猴子行为和生理的分析表明，它们的发育方式更像人类，与对照组相比，它们具有更好的短期记忆，以及更快的反应时间。

Their brains also took longer to develop, in a similar fashion to humans.

他们的大脑发育所需时间也更长，就像人类一样。

The research has been criticized by a number of Western scientists. University of Colorado geneticist James Sikela said it was a "very risky road to take."

这项研究受到许多西方科学家的批评。科罗拉多大学遗传学家James Sikela说这是一条“非常危险的道路”。

Sikela and his colleagues had argued in a paper published in 2010 that transgenic experiments on non-human primates raised complicated ethical issues and that enhanced primates would be at greater risk of exploitation and harm.

Sikela和他的同事在2010年发表的一篇论文中指出，在非人类灵长类动物身上进行转基因实验会引发复杂的伦理问题，而使灵长类动物变得更有智慧极有可能引发剥削危险，以及带来危害的风险。

"These harms render the conduct of this research ethically unacceptable in apes," the 2010 paper said. The paper did, however, concede the research could be valid in some situations.

2010年的研究报告说：“这些危害使得这项在类人猿身上开展的实验在道德上不可被接受。”然而，该论文承认，这项研究在某些情况下可能是有效的。

In the MIT Technology Review, University of Colorado bioethicist Jacqueline Glover compared the experiment to the sci-fi dystopian movie "Planet of the Apes," in which super-intelligent primates overthrow humans.

在《麻省理工科技评论》上，科罗拉多大学生物伦理学家杰奎琳·格洛弗将这一实验与科幻反乌托邦电影《人猿星球》进行了比较，其中非常聪明的灵长类动物推翻了人类。

"To humanize them is to cause harm. Where would they live and what would they do? Do not create a being that can't have a meaningful life in any context," Glover said.

格洛弗说：“将它们人类化就是造成伤害。他们会住在哪？他们会做什么？不要创造一个在任何情况下都没有意义的生命。”

But Chinese scientist Su accused Western critics, and Sikela in particular, of hypocrisy and recklessness, saying that the project was being unfairly judged by Chinese research "stereotypes."

但中国科学家苏指责西方批评人士，尤其是西凯拉的虚伪和鲁莽，称该项目受到中国研究“刻板印象”的不公平评价。

"Exploring the genetic mechanism of human brain evolution is a major issue in the natural sciences, and we will continue our exploration," he said.

“探索人类大脑进化的遗传机制是自然科学中的一个重大问题，我们将继续探索，”他说。