Some of you may remember I blogged about the Taiwanese green glowing pigs last month (see here).
I’ve come across another article about a US scientist, Marc Zimmer, who takes Shine and Shimmer (glowing mice) round classrooms showing them to kids. Not only is he demystifying the science by allowing children access to the animals, he also explains why researchers do this,
Because it’s easily traceable, fluorescent protein gives researchers a better idea of how certain organisms work. How cancers spread, how the brain responds to certain stimuli or when a plant needs more water are among its uses. The technology has led to discoveries about cancer, Alzheimer’s disease and AIDS.
Sometimes more than one color protein is used. For instance, a green fluorescent mouse could carry cancers treated with red protein. Researchers can then chart the progression of the cancer cells while the mouse is still living. Previously, researchers had to kill and dissect the mouse to observe the cells, and they got only one set of data. And even then, it wasn’t always clear which cells were which.
All-in-all it makes a pretty powerful tool for research (and is better for the animals than being euthanized and dissected).
Zimmer also highlights why people shouldn’t feel so uncomfortable with the idea of genetic modification:
