Editorial: Scientific advances are mind-numbing

At issue: Scientists say they have manipulated a gene that has resulted in smarter mice. What does this mean for us?

Contrast: Some applications might include alleviating memory loss, but other options may include making healthy people smarter.

Some scientists have taken the phrase "building a better mouse trap" one step further, announcing Thursday that they are building a better mouse brain. Researchers say they have created a smarter strain of mice by modifying a gene involved in memory formation, a breakthrough some believe could be used to create smarter humans.

First there was sheep cloning, which some insist could one day be replicated in humans, and now this. While applying this research to help alleviate memory loss for some patients seems OK, using this knowledge to make even healthy people smarter is unsettling. After all, the mind is one of the last great mysteries of human anatomy, and the suggestion that scientific tinkering can improve the brain's potential makes the "Brave New World" seem as if it's right on our doorstep.

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