Scientists create mouse that sings like a bird

Cant get my link to work! www.youtube.com...

Japanese scientists at the Univ of Osaka have produced a genetically-engineered mouse that tweets like a bird.

The 'tweeting' mouse was created as part of the team's ‘Evolved Mouse Project - the plan is that it will shed new light on how languages evolve.

The research has created a breed of mice that 'miscopy' dna through the breeding cycle on a more frequent basis than normal.

I dont know how this adds to knowledge but a direct lift from the article states:

"The team hopes they will provide clues on how human language evolved, just as researchers in other countries study songbirds such as finches to help them understand the origins of human language.

‘Mice are better than birds to study because they are mammals and much closer to humans in their brain structures and other biological aspects,’ Uchimura said.

‘We are watching how a mouse that emits new sounds would affect ordinary mice in the same group... in other words if it has social connotations,’ he said, adding that ordinary mice squeak mainly under stress.

Uchimura said their chirps ‘may be some sort of expressions of their emotions or bodily conditions.’

The team has found that ordinary mice that grew up with singing mice emitted fewer ultrasound squeaks than others. This could mean that communication methods can spread in the same group like a dialect."

I find this pretty worrying and hate the way humans are playing with animals.

Is this valid research in ATS' opinion?

Can I have 100 to form a Choir? but seriously this is just like bio-scientists comparing penis sizes and more likely has little to do with the aims set out by that video. It's just a case of "Look what we can do"

i you post a youtube link ...just extract the letters and numbers part like "http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cr10XLU2WOE&feature=topvideos" u just use "Cr10XLU2WOE"

Originally posted by angrydog
i you post a youtube link ...just extract the letters and numbers part like "http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cr10XLU2WOE&feature=topvideos" u just use "Cr10XLU2WOE"

Thanks

Tried many variations...including that one.

Nada was working for me.

That's weird, but not as weird as teaching my cat to meow like Chewbacca. I have to mention that it's now teaching our kitten to meow like that too.

Cant see the video.

This scares me,, though it would be pretty cool to have the growl of a tiger on a bird.

Originally posted by stellify
The 'tweeting' mouse was created as part of the team's ‘Evolved Mouse Project - the plan is that it will shed new light on how languages evolve.

The research has created a breed of mice that 'miscopy' dna through the breeding cycle on a more frequent basis than normal.

I dont know how this adds to knowledge but a direct lift from the article states:

"The team hopes they will provide clues on how human language evolved, just as researchers in other countries study songbirds such as finches to help them understand the origins of human language.

‘Mice are better than birds to study because they are mammals and much closer to humans in their brain structures and other biological aspects,’ Uchimura said.

‘We are watching how a mouse that emits new sounds would affect ordinary mice in the same group... in other words if it has social connotations,’ he said, adding that ordinary mice squeak mainly under stress.

Uchimura said their chirps ‘may be some sort of expressions of their emotions or bodily conditions.’

The team has found that ordinary mice that grew up with singing mice emitted fewer ultrasound squeaks than others. This could mean that communication methods can spread in the same group like a dialect."

I find this pretty worrying and hate the way humans are playing with animals.

Is this valid research in ATS' opinion?

Yes, it's valid research, is MUCH kinder than some of the other studies done (although I'm not sure of the requirements for ethical research in Japan.) In the name of research, some things have been done to animals that are hard to read about.

As to this project, there is no way to study language formation in humans via experiments. We can note what happens to kids who have been abused or isolated, etc -- but we can't isolate babies from all human contact and see how speech develops as a scientific test.

It has a number of applications, including some types of aphasia (inability to speak) and possibly rehabilitation therapy.

And thirdly, it may become a new pet type. A singing mouse is kind of a charming idea.

We've done this kind of modification of animals for as long as animals and humans have been around. Capturing, taming, training, breeding (think how different a chihuahua looks from a wolf), and so forth.

More to the point, I think it's interesting that they're giving mice a "society."

reply to post by stellify

I wanted to make a thread on this news but i appreciate you for bringing it into the attention of ATS'ers. There is a novel by Michael Crichton called NEXT, in that novel he described the advances in genetic science in the future, there are talking chimps, talking parrots in there. Even name of big corporations genetically imprinted on bodies of animals as advertisement....
So it would be like this Zebra sponsored by Pepsi co or this Tiger sponsored by B.P etc and this will be on those animals who will become extinct, this is not fiction this will gonna happen. People are already going for genetically enhanced babies or babies born in test tube, petri dishes etc..... Earlier they were trying to change our DNA by foods, medicines now they will do it directly.

Originally posted by mistafaz
That's weird, but not as weird as teaching my cat to meow like Chewbacca.

I have to mention that it's now teaching our kitten to meow like that too.

I would like to see that. Post it on You Tube.

You know what this turns into? O,now we are just creating a dog,that can shoot laser beems out of its eyes to see if,after wanting a dog treat for too long and not getting it, can demobilize its owner,into submission.

Then-Now we are bringing back the trex,to see how societies deal with the fear of having a giant beast in the nieghborhood.

But,the trex wasnt violent enough,embed rocket launchers in its chest,with a cd player so it can listen to the backstreet boys while living in all its glory and carnage.