| Quote: |
Scientists in Taiwan say they have bred three pigs that "glow in the dark".
They claim that while other researchers have bred partly fluorescent pigs, theirs are the only pigs in the world which are green through and through.
The pigs are transgenic, created by adding genetic material from jellyfish into a normal pig embryo.
The researchers hope the pigs will boost the island's stem cell research, as well as helping with the study of human disease.
The scientists, from National Taiwan University's Department of Animal Science and Technology, say that although the pigs glow, they are otherwise no different from any others.
Taiwan is not claiming a world first. Others have bred partially fluorescent pigs before; but the researchers insist the three pigs they have produced are better.
In daylight, their eyes and skin are green-tinged
They are the only ones that are green from the inside out. Even their heart and internal organs are green, the researchers say.
To create them, DNA from jellyfish was added to about 265 pig embryos which were implanted in eight different sows.
Four of the female pigs became pregnant and three male piglets were born three months ago.
Green generation
In daylight, the researchers say the pigs' eyes, teeth and trotters look green. Their skin has a greenish tinge.
In the dark, shine a blue light on them and they glow torch-light bright.
The scientists will use the transgenic pigs to study human disease. Because the pig's genetic material encodes a protein that shows up as green, it is easy to spot.
So if, for instance, some of its stem cells are injected into another animal, scientists can track how they develop without the need for a biopsy or invasive test.
But creating them has not been easy. Many of the altered embryos failed to develop.
The researchers say they hope the new, green pigs will mate with ordinary female pigs to create a new generation - much greater numbers of transgenic pigs for use in research. |
this is some weird stuff...pretty soon we'll be seeing green babies
SourceAnd glow in the dark pigs help stem study how? I hope I'm not the only one who isn't confused.
| Soulfire wrote: |
| And glow in the dark pigs help stem study how? I hope I'm not the only one who isn't confused. |
Yeah, wtf is the point of green glowing pigs?
Seriously, the Green Lantern isn't even popular anymore 
.They are saying that basically these pigs have these "glowing" stem cells that when injected into another animal can be monitered much easier, without a biopsy or anything big like that.
It's pretty interesting.
Its really sick the way some scientists abuse technology and change DNA like that. I am against all genetically modified organisms. Nature created things the way they are for a reason. Its only a matter of time until someone screws something up, or terrorists get the technology and something really nasty happens and lots of or everyone dies, because of it.
I know what glow in the dark pigs are for!!!!
Pigs, being the transition animal for many new human diseases that where once animal diseases, will pass the glowingness on to the bacteria and viruses so we can see them and not breath them is!!!!!
| Marston wrote: |
| Seriously, the Green Lantern isn't even popular anymore . |
Blasphemer! Bite your tongue sir!
You know, if we gathered up all the scientists working on stupid shit like this and square watermelons, we might be able to discover something important.I can help you out here since I've done genetic mutations on bacteria myself...
The idea of using fluorescent markers in animals is to identifty where the fluorescent marker will be produced in the animal, does it get turned on in all tissues or only certain parts of the body... That's where the research is on in genetics now, coz it might help identify genetic traits such as obesity, facial expressions etc, all by experimenting with a bit of green dye in pigs... Sweet (",)
Just they won't be doing it on humans for sure, you don't have to worry...
Comments, questions, queries see my profile.
Well, although I am not against researches as these, I do agree that there are some other researchs of greater importance and urgency. These researches on er green pigs <.< are still...knowledge obtained about how the way some things work, and that's nice >.>; but you'd think they'd try to solve some other more immediate problems first. <.< like oh i don't know, the shortage of fuel supplies which demands a new type of vehicle that works. Yeah there are people working on it <.< but not enough and not fast enough, and no where good enough (the stuff they came up with as a result).
All else aside, it's interesting though. I want one....o.o talk about electricity conservation =P *stares at the green-ness*
