Glowing Animals: When man plays God
Scientific success has added to the growing list of animals that have been genetically engineered from adult cells, including Dolly the sheep, fish, pigs, goats, cattle, mice and even an ox-like creature called a gaur. From Ruby Puppy to genetically modified dog Tagon, here are some really strange creatures that glow in the dark.
A genetically engineered Convict Cichlids (Amatitlania nigrofasciata) glows in a plastic bag inside a water tank during a new conference in Taipei, October 28, 2010. The news conference was held to promote the upcoming 2010 Taiwan International Aquarium Expo which will be held at Taipei World Trade Centre from October 29 to November 1. REUTERS/Pichi Chuang
A genetically engineered Convict Cichlids (Amatitlania Nigrofasciata) glows inside a water tank while being displayed at the 2010 Taiwan International Aqua Expo in Taipei October 29, 2010. The show features award winning aquatic breeds which will be displayed at the Taipei World Trade Centre from October 29 to November 1. REUTERS/Nicky Loh
Genetically engineered angelfish (Pterophyllum) glow in a tank during a news conference before the 2012 Taiwan International Aquarium Expo in Taipei November 7, 2012. The fish, which are the world's first pink fluorescent angelfish and can view without blacklight, were created by a joint project between Taiwan's Academia Sinica, National Taiwan Ocean University and Jy Lin, a private biotechnology company, according to the organizer. The 2012 Taiwan International Aquarium Expo will be held at Taipei World Trade Center Nangang Exhibition Hall from November 9 to 12. REUTERS/Pichi Chuang (TAIWAN - Tags: ANIMALS SOCIETY SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY)
Genetically engineered angelfish (Pterophyllum) glow in a tank during a news conference before the 2012 Taiwan International Aquarium Expo in Taipei November 7, 2012. The fish, which are the world's first pink fluorescent angelfish and can view without blacklight, were created by a joint project between Taiwan's Academia Sinica, National Taiwan Ocean University and Jy Lin, a private biotechnology company, according to the organizer. The 2012 Taiwan International Aquarium Expo will be held at Taipei World Trade Center Nangang Exhibition Hall from November 9 to 12. REUTERS/Pichi Chuang (TAIWAN - Tags: ANIMALS SOCIETY SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY)
Genetically engineered fish (Archocentrus nigrofasciatus var.) glow in a tank during a news conference before the 2012 Taiwan International Aquarium Expo in Taipei November 7, 2012. The fish, which are the world's first pink fluorescent fish and can view without blacklight, were created by a joint project between Taiwan's Academia Sinica, National Taiwan Ocean University and Jy Lin, a private biotechnology company, according to the organizer. The 2012 Taiwan International Aquarium Expo will be held at Taipei World Trade Center Nangang Exhibition Hall from November 9 to 12. REUTERS/Pichi Chuang (TAIWAN - Tags: ANIMALS SOCIETY SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY)
Genetically engineered angelfish (Pterophyllum) glow in a tank during a news conference before the 2012 Taiwan International Aquarium Expo in Taipei November 7, 2012. The fish, which are the world's first pink fluorescent angelfish and can view without blacklight, were created by a joint project between Taiwan's Academia Sinica, National Taiwan Ocean University and Jy Lin, a private biotechnology company, according to the organizer. The 2012 Taiwan International Aquarium Expo will be held at Taipei World Trade Center Nangang Exhibition Hall from November 9 to 12. REUTERS/Pichi Chuang (TAIWAN - Tags: ANIMALS SOCIETY SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY)
Puppies of genetically modified dog Tagon are seen at Seoul National University (SNU)'s College of Veterinary Medicine in Seoul.
A combination image of undated handout pictures released to Reuters on July 28, 2011 shows the foot of a genetically modified dog Tagon under normal (L) and ultraviolet light (R) at Seoul National University (SNU)'s College of Veterinary Medicine in Seoul. South Korean scientists said on Wednesday, they have created a glowing dog using a cloning technique that could help find cures for human diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, Yonhap news agency reported. A SNU research team said the genetically modified female beagle, named Tegon and born in 2009, has been found to glow fluorescent green under ultraviolet light if given a doxycycline antibiotic, the report said. The researchers, who completed a two-year test, said the ability to glow can be turned on or off by adding a drug to the dog's food. REUTERS/Seoul National University/Handout
Ruppy (short for Ruby Puppy) is the world's first transgenic dog. A cloned beagle, Ruppy and four other beagles produce a fluorescent protein that glows red upon excitation with ultraviolet light. Ruppy was created in 2009 by a group of scientists in South Korea, led by Byeong-Chun Lee. The dog was cloned using viral transfection of fibroblasts cells with a protein that expresses the red fluorescent gene. The nucleus of the transfected fibroblast was then inserted into the enucleated oocyte of another dog, leading to generation of dog oocytes expressing the red fluorescent protein. These cloned embryos were then implanted into the uterus of a surrogate mother.
A combination image of undated handout pictures released to Reuters on July 28, 2011 shows the foot of a genetically modified dog Tagon under normal (L) and ultraviolet light (R) at Seoul National University (SNU)'s College of Veterinary Medicine in Seoul. South Korean scientists said on Wednesday, they have created a glowing dog using a cloning technique that could help find cures for human diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, Yonhap news agency reported. A SNU research team said the genetically modified female beagle, named Tegon and born in 2009, has been found to glow fluorescent green under ultraviolet light if given a doxycycline antibiotic, the report said. The researchers, who completed a two-year test, said the ability to glow can be turned on or off by adding a drug to the dog's food. REUTERS/Seoul National University/Handout
Scientist Tomoko Nakanishi, 22, points three 48-hour-old glowing mice at a laboratory in the Osaka University in Osaka on Saturday, July 19, 1997. The world's first fluorescent mammal, the glow-in-the-dark rodents are the result of a technique that could be a boon to medical researchers. The glowing mice which shine a gleaming green under ultraviolet light. The geneticists injected mouse embryos with the DNA of a bioluminescent North American jellyfish. The team started the project four years ago in an effort to develop new methods to observe the internal development of fetuses. (AP Photo/KK)
Two piglets glow with a flourescent green as they are held up against ultraviolet light as the little pigs turn on fluorescent green color under UV light in a lab of the Northeast Agricultural University in Harbin, northern China's Heilongjiang province, Tuesday, Dec. 26, 2006. The green flourescent genes were transferred from jelly fish and researchers claim China is only the fourth country after U.S., South Korea and Japan to have successfully transfered the genes to pigs. (AP Photo/EyePress)
Genetically engineered angelfish (Pterophyllum) glow in a tank during a news conference before the 2012 Taiwan International Aquarium Expo in Taipei November 7, 2012. The fish, which are the world's first pink fluorescent angelfish and can view without blacklight, were created by a joint project between Taiwan's Academia Sinica, National Taiwan Ocean University and Jy Lin, a private biotechnology company, according to the organizer. The 2012 Taiwan International Aquarium Expo will be held at Taipei World Trade Center Nangang Exhibition Hall from November 9 to 12. REUTERS/Pichi Chuang (TAIWAN - Tags: ANIMALS SOCIETY SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY)
A biologist shows a genetically altered mouse which emits green light in the dark at the Osaka University Microbiology Disease Laboratory 12 June. Assistant Professor Masaru Okabe and his team recently created the world's first light-emitting mammals by the latest technology to inject DNA from luminous jellyfish into the fertilized eggs of mice. AFP PHOTO
ALEXANDRIA, VA- APRIL 6: A GloFish swims in a aquarium at a pet store in Virginia, April 6, 2004 in Alexandria, Virginia. The trademarked fish is genetically engineered and California is the only state to ban the species. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
GloFish are seen swimming around a fish tank in this undated handout photo. The fish, which were genetically engineered to glow, were originally intended to help scientist study pollution but are now being marketed as the first genetically altered house pet. (Photo courtesy of GloFish/via Getty Images)
Falco Situ, a 25-year-old member of staff at Taipei Sea World, watches a rare six-inch (15 cm) Asian Emperor Scorpion, displayed to the media in Taipei, 01 August 2003. The poisonous Emperor Scorpion turns blue under fluorescent light and can live for three to five years. There are more than 50 different kinds of insects, scorpions and spiders being exhibed at the center. AFP PHOTO/Sam YEH
Puppies of genetically modified dog Tagon are seen at Seoul National University (SNU)'s College of Veterinary Medicine in Seoul.
A Puppy of genetically modified dog Tagon are seen at Seoul National University (SNU)'s College of Veterinary Medicine in Seoul.
