The Chimeric Brain

The Chimera - a creature of Ancient Greek mythology - was part lion-goat-snake. Crossing the boundaries between species is everyday in science. To test the therapeutic potential and behaviour of human stem cells, scientists implant them into animals first. But transplanting our brain cells into our closest primate relatives has raised eyebrows, and the prospect of the 'humanzee'. Could this make their brain more human-like? Might this change their moral status in the lab? Top stem cell scientist, John Gearhart, bioethicist Jason Scott Robert, and neuroscientist Peter Schofield join Natasha Mitchell to discuss the scientific and moral questions at the core of creating chimeric brains.