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After the post about Transgenic Plants I couldn’t help but wonder how scientists (or transgenic "artists") can create such species. I took my last biology lesson 4 years ago in high school and I don't remember much about genes etc. So I did a little research about the subject.
While searching over internet, I figured that most of the pages were a little hard to understand for readers with non-biological backgrounds. Yet I found a document prepared by "European Initiative for Biology Education" (EIBE) and it was the simplest to understand. You can check it out by clicking here.
1) First scientists identify what is the gene of interest ( for example GFP gene found in the jellyfish that fluoresces green when exposed to blue light).
2) They form Recombinant DNA's. A recombinant DNA is, according to Wikipedia, a form of synthetic DNA thereby combining DNA sequences that would not normally occur together. So basically after identifying a gene that is responsible of a certain characteristic, they match the molecules of the chosen Gene with the normal DNA, so that the "Recombinant DNA" carries this foreign gene.
3) This is the step where they insert the transgene. According to EIBE, there are 3 methods that are used in this step; Microinjection, Use of Retroviral Factors and Embryonic Stem Cell Transfer.
Microinjection is maybe the simplest to understand. With this method the scientists inject the transgenes with a fine needle, inside of a fertilized cell while a microtube holding the fertilized cell.
The logic is the same as Mendel's discovery with peas (remember it from high school). In every method I suppose, they first inject the transgenic material and try to produce heterozygotes which are the result of a matching of one normal and one modified animal. If they manage to do so, then they match again two heterozygote animals to produce fully transgenic animals.
Here is a pic, when scientists implemented the growth gene to mice.
Although genetic experiments are realized mostly on mice, Taiwanese scientists created glowing pigs like the glowing rabbit Alba in 2006 according to BBC. There is even a video of the pigs on the site.
While I was searching all this stuff, a thought crossed to my mind. Think about transgenic humans. Today the genetic engineering has come to a point where a cactus with human hair or glowing rabbits could be easily achieved. So will genetic technology be used to create “better” human beings? Maybe one day secretly, modified humans with different abilities will exist (glowing in the dark wouldn’t be cool thoughJ ). And maybe we will be talking about a new genetically superior generation. Maybe there will be disputes within generations (Mutants vs. Normal People). I never thought these movies could refer to possible scenarios.
But with all these achievements in science, nothing really seems impossible, even Xman.
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