Scientists Create The World's First Blue Rose

I don't know waht to think of this yet and how accurate this is as I find more sources I will post them here.

Australian and Japanese researchers have demonstrated the application of RNAi technology for gene replacement in plants, developing the world's only blue rose.

Breeders had attempted to make true blue roses for several years, but none had successfully bred roses with blue pigment until fairly recently. In its first commercial application in plants, technology was used to remove the gene encoding the enzyme dihydroflavonol reductase (DFR) in roses.

Roses are very old garden subjects – a favourite for some 5,000 years. The 'something blue' was the delphinidin gene that Florigene's geneticists cloned from a pansy, to direct pigment synthesis in the rose into the 'blue' pathway. The 'something borrowed' was an iris gene for an enzyme, DFR, required to complete the delphinidin-synthesis reaction.

What will be next, or better yet, how will this science be used?

If this is real, I can already see the Valentines Propaganda and Money that is going to be made form this. but that is only the tip of the iceberg.

For Example:
www.textco.com...

RNAi Technology Wikipedia Source

Color a rose, then a frog , then a rat then...... well you figure it out.



[edit on 3/22/2007 by a1ex]

Wow... That blue rose looks so beautiful! I want one! lol. Thanks for the news a1ex, this is a great find!

/7A

Somehow it just doesn’t look right

I see... it was in the PANSY gene all along! XD

Well I hope they come out with a comercially viable bush that i can put in my garden next to the red, and white bushes then i can have a "patriotic" rose garden.