Clone corps: california firm unveils shocking plan for ‘empty’ human bodies
A shadow hangs over the biotech landscape as R3 Bio, based in Richmond, California, quietly pursues a project that could redefine – and deeply unsettle – the future of human existence: the creation of genetically engineered, brainless human clones.
The ‘replacement body’ gamble
The company, led by John Schloendorn – a figure who’s already coined the chilling term ‘brainless clones’ – isn’t publicly discussing its core objectives. Officially, R3 Bio is focused on producing primate organ “sacs” as a replacement for animal testing in the pharmaceutical industry. But a leaked internal memo from 2023, uncovered by MIT Technology Review, paints a dramatically different picture: a roadmap towards ‘full body replacement’ – the systematic harvesting of cloned bodies devoid of neurological function as a source of immunologically compatible organs.
Funding the impossible
The fact that this audacious endeavor is receiving serious investment speaks volumes. Tim Draper, the Silicon Valley billionaire known for backing seemingly outlandish ventures, is amongst the backers. Alongside him are Immortal Dragons, a Singapore-based investment firm, and LongGame Ventures, specializing in longevity technologies. Schloendorn himself laid bare the concept during a presentation at the Abundance Longevity event in Boston last year, openly discussing animal research and the potential for these clones as biological ‘backup’ reserves – a prospect rapidly blurring the lines between scientific aspiration and unsettling fantasy.
Reality check: current status
Despite the funding and the provocative presentations, R3 Bio’s track record reveals a sobering reality. So far, their efforts have been limited to cloning rodents. There’s no evidence of functional organ ‘sacs’ being produced, and a significant portion of the scientific community views Schloendorn’s vision as speculative rather than grounded in demonstrable science. The technical hurdles involved in scaling up from a mouse to a primate, let alone a human, are immense, compounded by significant ethical and legal obstacles.
A distorted landscape
This pursuit reflects a broader trend within the burgeoning longevity industry: a concerning convergence of ambitious research and science fiction. The lines between legitimate investigation and speculative dreaming have become dangerously blurred. The willingness to inject considerable capital into such a radical concept underscores a fundamental shift – one where the pursuit of indefinite lifespan is eclipsing, perhaps, a more cautious and ethically sound approach to extending healthy human life.