From: Tom Whore (tomwhore@inetarena.com)
Date: Tue Sep 19 2000 - 08:33:05 PDT
[hmmm this brings a whole new set of possibilitys in the baby making
process]
http://www.ars-technica.com/index.html
Posted 09/19/2000 - 1:39am EDT Scientists in France have made a rabbit
which glows green when placed under a ultraviolet light source (e.g. black
light). Alba, the Green Fluorescent Bunny, was made for Eduardo Kac, a
"transgenetic" artist. The purpose of creating a glowing transgenic animal
is to stimulate public dialog on the status and social acceptance of
transgenic animals, by trying to integrate them as normal pets. Of course
the rabbit isn't the first genetically modified glowing mammal. That title
goes to the glowing mouse. Both animals were made to fluoresce by
integrating Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) into their genome. Believe it
or not, but GFP, a small protein that, uh, fluoresces in the green, was
discovered and isolated in jelly fish, and has become an extremely useful
tool to study the location and activity of proteins in living organisms.
Of course in contrast to the green mouse, the green bunny has no
scientific purpose at all. Her purpose is to be cute and glow green.
That's it. It's transgenic art.
Eduardo Kac's past work includes encoding passages of the bible into
synthetic genes, tagging a fluorescent marker to the end of the genes, and
then following the expression of the synthetic fluorescent proteins in
bacteria with vivid glowing snapshots. And as for green animals, his plans
don't stop at rabbits. His next project is to make a GFP K9. Yup a green
doggy. -
http://abcnews.go.com/sections/science/DailyNews/rabbit000918.html
http://www.ekac.org/gfpbunny.html
http://www.mtsinai.on.ca/PublicationsAndNewsletters/YHRFall99/yhr23.htm
http://www.mtsinai.on.ca/PublicationsAndNewsletters/YHRFall99/yhr23.htm
http://www.ekac.org/blueyellow.html
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