The Speculist

Huge news via Kurzweil AI :

Harvard scientists have manipulated stem cells already present in the brains of mice to induce the birth of new neurons, an advance once considered impossible by most scientists.

They induced the birth of new cells by killing nearby neurons in mice, which set off a cascade of events that led to stem cells, producing new neurons in the cerebral cortex. If scientists can turn this into a therapy for humans, it would mean that patients could literally heal themselves with stem cells already present in their brains.

This development holds incredible promise for the treatment of any number of degenerative diseases, not to mention brain damage caused by accidents or other trauma. Excellent news! Moreover, we can add this to the arsenal of brain enhancements that might soon be avilable.

Interestingly, neither the editors at Kurzweil nor the author of the original Wired piece have the guts to speculate as to how this development impacts the possibility of one day producing a super-intelligent mouse.

For the record: it makes it much more likely.