The Bone Labyrinth by James Rollins Page A

down to just that two or three percent, too scant to have any stimulating effect on our intellect today.” She glanced around the room. “But what if we could reverse that biological clock and re-create that true hybrid today?”
    “And that’s what you and your sister were working toward?” The man sounded equal parts horrified and astounded.
    “Not only working toward, we accomplished it.” Maria stood up. “Would you like to meet him?”
    11:35 A . M .
    You’ve got to be goddamn kidding me . . .
    Kowalski stared beyond the glass into what appeared to be a preschool classroom, but one that was clearly built for a very strange student. Ropes were strung from the ceiling. A tire swing hung limply in the corner. Big plastic toy blocks were scattered everywhere.
    Amidst the clutter, a small furry figure faced them, leaning on the knuckles of one arm, his flat nose sniffing at the strangers behind the glass.
    “His name’s Baako,” Maria introduced.
    “He’s a gorilla,” Kowalski said, unable to keep the disdain from his voice, and not really wanting to. He had had some bad experiences with apes in the past.
    No wonder Painter kept this under his hat.
    “He’s a western lowland gorilla,” Maria explained. “A three-year-old immature male.”
    Equally dumbfounded, Monk stared into the space. “This is your hybrid?”
    Amy Wu, the National Science Foundation researcher, answered. “We certainly couldn’t authorize this study using human embryos. Not without raising a firestorm of protests. While altering the DNA of humans for experimental purposes is not illegal per se, it is frowned upon. Especially in the realms of creating human hybrids.”
    “Not to mention the moral and ethical implications,” Maria added. “It’s why we opted to use the gorilla as a model. The entire genome of Homo neanderthalensis was sequenced six years ago. Using that information and the latest gene-editing techniques, we were able to re-create the Neanderthal genome from scratch. We then used that engineered sample to fertilize the ovum of a gorilla to produce a viable hybrid embryo, which we carried to term using a female gorilla as a surrogate.”
    Maria must have misinterpreted the disgust on Kowalski’s face for disbelief and tried to explain how such a monster could have been created. “Scientists have been producing human-animal hybrids for years. Back in 2003, a group of Chinese scientists successfully fused human cells with rabbit eggs, producing growing embryos. The very next year, the Mayo Clinic here in the States announced they had produced pigs with human blood running through their veins. Since then, there have been mice grown with livers, even brains, that are made up of human cells, along with many similar projects involving other species: cats, sheep, cows, et cetera.”
    Amy Wu supported her, motioning to the window and the furry subject of this discussion. “I suspect this fellow is only the first step toward more ambitious endeavors in the near future.”
    “So for your research purposes,” Monk said, “I’m guessing you started with a gorilla because of the species’s close proximity to humans.”
    “That’s right,” Amy said with a nod.
    Monk stared through the window. “But why not choose a chimpanzee instead? Aren’t they supposed to be even closer to us genetically?”
    “Yes and no,” Maria answered. “While chimps share more than ninety-eight percent of the same genes as us versus a gorilla’s ninety-six percent, for our study it was more about quality than quantity. When it comes to those sequences involving sensory perception, hearing, and more important, brain development, the gorilla’s genome is significantly closer to ours than that of a chimpanzee’s.”
    “This also bears out from past communication studies with chimps versus gorillas,” Amy added. “Washoe and Nim are probably two of the best known sign-language-speaking chimpanzees, but their vocabulary topped off at