Japanese Scientists Create Green Glowing Monkeys
Japanese scientists announced this week the creation of genetically altered monkeys that glow green under fluorescent light and have the capability of passing the unusual trait to their offspring.
News of the supernatural-sounding marmosets marked the first time monkeys have inherited added genes from their scientifically altered parents.
Known as transgenic, because of their added genes, the monkeys emit a green glow from the skin, hair and blood of their feet.
Details on the glowing primates, which appear in the latest edition of the scientific journal Nature, include how researchers Erika Sasaki and Hideyuki Okano of the Keio University School of Medicine in Japan used a virus to transfer the green gene into monkey embryos.
A female monkey implanted with the altered embryos later gave birth to four offspring with the ability to glow green.
The scientists involved in the study hope to use the fluorescent monkeys in research for human diseases like Parkinson’s and ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis).
Transgenic monkeys, mice and other animals have been created in previous experiments, but the ability for such animals to inherent added genes is being hailed as a breakthrough.
“The birth of this transgenic marmoset baby is undoubtedly a milestone,” wrote Shoukhrat Mitalipov, of Oregon Health and Sciences University, and stem cell expert Dr. Gerald Schatten, of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, in the journal Nature.
By ponygirl on 02-06-2009
Comment by Stan
June 3rd, 2009 at 3:13 pm
Ok cool they glow in the dark, but I'm not clear on what the benefits are…like what do the scientists get out of adding the glowing genes?
Comment by Loudog
June 3rd, 2009 at 5:46 pm
Coolness is all that matters. But "News of the supernatural-sounding marmosets marked the first time monkeys have inherited added genes from their scientifically altered parents … Details on the glowing primates, which appear in the latest edition of the scientific journal Nature, include how researchers Erika Sasaki and Hideyuki Okano of the Keio University School of Medicine in Japan used a virus to transfer the green gene into monkey embryos … The scientists involved in the study hope to use the fluorescent monkeys in research for human diseases like Parkinson’s and ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis)."
Comment by Jason
June 3rd, 2009 at 11:24 pm
The made them glow green because its a quick and easy way to know if the gene modification worked or not rather than try and work out if a blood or bio chemistry modification worked.
The reason this is hailed as a brake through is that the modification has been passed on to the next generation something that before did not happen the offspring had the original genes not the modified ones.
What this means is that if you have a genetic fault and are cured of it by gene therapy and you have children they will get the fix instead of now when they inherit the fault.
Hope that helps
-Jason
Comment by HARRY
June 5th, 2009 at 10:00 am
05.06.2009.
FAR FROM TRUE,ANYWAY PLS REGISTERED MYSELF,SO IT CAN BE EAIER FOR ME TO COMENT FREELY.
THANK YOU.
REGARD,
HARRY
Comment by Greenie
June 5th, 2009 at 2:33 pm
But do they have four asses?
Comment by o lawd
June 24th, 2009 at 6:26 am
Go ahead and delete your account.
Nothing of value will be lost.
Comment by FireCracker
September 23rd, 2009 at 6:27 pm
its one of them frog monkeys from that movie "beer fest", lol