glow in the dark cats help aids researchers

www.bbc.co.uk...

The scientists inserted one gene into the cats that helps them resist the feline form of Aids. They also inserted a gene that produces a fluorescent protein called GFP, Nature Methods journal reports. This protein - which is produced naturally in jellyfish - is commonly used in this area of research to monitor the activity of altered genes.

this is wild... i mean, yes any help in curing aids should absolutely be looked into... but what about any long term damage? to the cat? are they going to make a human glow in the dark next?

feline form of aids? lol ......now i've heard everything. surely they dont expect us to swallow this crap

Wow if that has no harmful effects on the cat, I would love to have one of those!!!! Where can I get my cat injected with glow in the dark juice??

Originally posted by jazzguy
feline form of aids? lol ......now i've heard everything. surely they dont expect us to swallow this crap

You haven't heard of Feline AIDS? It's nothing new. Nothing crap about it.
www.vet.cornell.edu...
www.pluspets.com...



Glow in the dark cats? Now that is new.

Its living genetic code so ofcourse it wont harm the cat

reply to post by jazzguy


Yes feline aids is real, it killed all my cats

Wow! I heard about Glo in the dark Beagles, and now cats! Is this going to be the new trend in pets?

Originally posted by occrest
Is this going to be the new trend in pets?

Id buy one.Just saying.

reply to post by gimme_some_truth


haha, yes i absolutely would too, maybe they can work on making their dander less potent, unfortunately i love cats but so highly allergic to them i swell up like a balloon in mere minutes and have had about 5 asthma attacks because of them...

now, if they can perfect my miniature shepherd to glow, i am so in on that

reply to post by schitzoandro


yes! If they would do this with dogs to, I would love it. I am more of a dog person, but cats are awesome to.

Just imagine all the Hollywood types going around with glow in the dark Chihuahua's in their purse.

I'd like to see them do that with deer so you can see more than their eyes at the side of the road in the middle of the night.

Then, again, I suppose that could have an adverse effect on the deer population.

Talk about finding a way to make the cats less able to hunt!

This is worse than putting a bell on a cat's collar IMO. At least the cat can slip out of their collars in order to sneak up on prey. If they glow in the dark, their prey will be able to see them coming for miles! So much for getting a cat to kill mice and other vermin on farms.


I really can't see any practical use for this adaption. Sure, the cats look cool but, this is harming their ability to survive in the wild and to perform the functions for which farmers value them so highly.

Why do scientists feel the need to do things to animals just to see if they can without any regard for how this will affect the animal.

reply to post by FortAnthem


i do agree about the loss of sneaking, but the reason is for research into aids and fiv, i don't think it was just for fun.

This protein - which is produced naturally in jellyfish - is commonly used in this area of research to monitor the activity of altered genes. "We did it to mark cells easily just by looking under the microscope or shining a light on the animal," said Dr Eric Poeschla, from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, US.

www.bbc.co.uk...

but tell me you wouldn't crap your pants if you saw that on the end of your bed in the middle of the night! i would! maybe they can use it to their advantage, something like the deer caught in headlights effect, except being caught in glow lights?

well they only glow under a black light right not like moonlight for instance.

reply to post by PapaEmeritus


i understand, but then again...

So far, Dr Poeschla's team has only tested cells taken from the animals and found they were resistant to FIV. But eventually they plan to expose the cats to the virus and see if they are protected.

if they expose the cats to the virus, and they are not protected, then they most certainly will hurt the animals, correct?