---
title: "Scientists Worried That Human Brains Grown in Lab May Be Sentient"
description: "As lab-grown mini brains become increasingly complex, some neuroscientists warn that scientists may be creating and killing off sentient life."
date: "2019-10-21"
modified: "2019-10-21"
authors:
  - name: "Dan Robitzski"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/danrobitzski"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/scientists-worried-lab-grown-brains-sentient"
categories:
  - "Science & Energy"
tags:
  - "mini brains"
  - "neuroscience"
  - "the digest"
---

# Scientists Worried That Human Brains Grown in Lab May Be Sentient

![As lab-grown mini brains become increasingly complex, some neuroscientists warn that scientists may be creating and killing off sentient life.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/scientists-worried-human-brains-grown-lab-sentient.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: \_DJ\_ via Flickr/Victor Tangermann\</em\>*

## It's Alive!

Some neuroscientists working with lab-grown human "mini brains" worry they could be experiencing an endless horror, with a conscious existence with no body.

At least, that's the warning that a group of Green Neuroscience Lab researchers plan to deliver during a national meeting for the Society for Neuroscience on Monday, [according to *The Guardian*](<https://www.theguardian.com/science/2019/oct/21/scientists-may-have-crossed-ethical-line-in-growing-human-brains>). While it's never been demonstrated that a mini brain has become conscious or sentient, the researchers believe that the risk is too great to [continue using them](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/writer-mini-brain-own-cells>).

## Toeing The Line

Mini brains give scientists the opportunity to study neurological development and conditions in something more human-like than an animal model. While they don't approach the complexity of a human brain, scientists have been able to make [increasingly-complex mini brains](<https://futurism.com/scientists-grew-human-brains-robots>) for their work.

"We're already seeing activity in organoids that is reminiscent of biological activity in developing animals," Elan Ohayon, the director of the Green Neuroscience Laboratory, told *The Guardian*.

## Hold Off

It's that progress that has the neuroscientists concerned.

"If there's even a possibility of the organoid being sentient, we could be crossing that line," said Ohayon. "We don't want people doing research where there is potential for something to suffer."

**READ MORE:** [Scientists 'may have crossed ethical line' in growing human brains](<https://www.theguardian.com/science/2019/oct/21/scientists-may-have-crossed-ethical-line-in-growing-human-brains>) \[*The Guardian*\]

**More on mini brains:** *[New Lab-Grown Mini Brains Are The Most Advanced Yet](<https://futurism.com/neoscope/lab-grown-mini-brains-advanced>)*

## Author
Dan Robitzki is a senior reporter for Futurism, where he likes to cover AI, tech ethics, and medicine. He spends his extra time fencing and streaming games from Los Angeles, California.

### Author social links  
[Twitter](<https://x.com/danrobitzski>)