Genetically modified pets. Would you like a glow in the dark zebra fish?

[Wonk]

Glowing fish to be first genetically changed pet
Fri November 21, 2003 04:59 PM ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A little tropical fish that glows fluorescent red will be the first genetically engineered pet, a Texas-based company has said.

(snip)

The fish, developed at the National University of Singapore by researcher Zhiyuan Gong, are also available as pets in Taiwan, the company said. They will sell for about $5 apiece at pet stores in January.

more...

[Deja Q]

1. Genetic engineering, what could wo grong?

"These fish were bred to help fight environmental pollution," Blake said in a telephone interview on Friday. "They were bred to fluoresce in the presence of toxins."

How does glowing in the presence of a toxin FIGHT it?!

And if the fish glows in the tapwater we drink, does that mean we're drinkin' toxins?!!

Gee, they don't even show a frickin' picture of the thing! :eyes: I was rather disappointed... :cry:

[Kellanved]

2. picture

from
http://www.petpeoplesplace.com/News/024.htm

[onebigbadwulf]

3. Those aren't red

[Kellanved]

4. You're right

However I've read the story a few months ago - and there it says "...shine a yellow-green colour. "

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3026104.stm

Don't ask me why it took the story months to get to the US and why the Reuters reporter seems have a red/green problem.

[45th Med]

5. www.glofish.com

get the whole scoop.

[Deja Q]

11. The fish, said in the report, are also sterile, and for that price...

:-(

Byproduct of GM or means of the corporate elite to limit supply and to keep the price up? $17 is a lot for a fish that size, zebra fish are a SCHOOLING FISH which means you'll need at least 3 of them or they'll be depressed and scared all the time, and NATURAL fish have a beauty of their own...

[politicat]

16. Red/Green color blindness is a common enough problem....

Yeah, right. That's it....

Though a Red glowing zebra would be cool if it was natural....

The babies breed too easily in captivity, though....

Politicat (who misses her salt tank.....)

[Sufi Marmot]

6. I think they're red (under white light)...

...and fluoresce green when you hit them with UV. I'm not sure if zebrafish are normally red or the fluorescent protein makes them appear red under natural light. For what it's worth, there are yellow, cyan, and red variants of the green fluorescent protein used to make them glow, all of which respond to slightly different wavelengths of light -so theoretically you could make fish that are different colors...

-SM

[Deja Q]

10. Those look like guppies, not zebra fish

Thanks for the pic!

Still, as I use black light in my apartment, buying a few of those fish will be ultra-cool... :D

[AlienGirl]

14. Glowing in the presence of a toxin...

It wasn't meant to fight the toxin, but rather to alert humans to the presence of that toxin, so the humans can (presumably) clean it up or something. The toxin is still toxic to the fish.

Tucker

[Wonk]

7. How long before someone adds that gene to a reindeer?

Just wondering....

[Sufi Marmot]

8. Well, they've got Easter covered...

GFP bunny

[Wonk]

12. Far out

[Lady Freedom]

13. Didn't Santa beat them to it?

hehe :evilgrin:

[Capn Sunshine]

9. I'd like a ZEBRA that glows in the dark

that would be so cool

[Wonk]

15. kick

[Interrobang]

17. I'd settle for a non-toxic glow-in-the-dark paint...

...to put on my cat, so I can see him when I come into my dark apartment at night. He looks rather like Wonk's pretty kitty, only with longer fangs!