Glowing Pig News

October 12, 2001 7:53 AM

Glowing Pig News Great to take to parties..... (Hurrah for my first ever link that hasn't been found in previous threads...)
posted by Spoon (13 comments total)

Wake me when they develop a basset hound with red fur, horns, and a barbed tail. I've been wanting one of those for sooooo long.
posted by y6y6y6 at 8:21 AM on October 12, 2001

not wanting to burst your bubble, but i imagine that the glowing mouse has been discussed here, but am not going use up server clicks to verify.
still, is it just showing off? i dunno.
posted by asok at 8:33 AM on October 12, 2001

TO be fair though, the pig story has *much* better pictures...
posted by Spoon at 8:37 AM on October 12, 2001

The researchers at the University of Missouri in Columbia have absolutely no idea what possible use a glowing pig could have but have released a statement saying, "It's really cool isn't it?"

Initially they had hoped for a creature that could not only hunt down truffles but remain easilly trackable in dark woods. However, the the piglet called NT-2, merely lies limp on local beaches while children poke at it with sticks.
posted by KnitWit at 8:46 AM on October 12, 2001

No idea about possible uses? It's obviously for colour-coordinating with a flourescent yellow pig-sty. As for not being able to ask a pig how it feels about its yellow snout, as the critic in the article complains: I'd be more concerned about how it feels about pork luncheon meat.
posted by rory at 9:41 AM on October 12, 2001

"We are a long, long way from understanding what side effects this kind of gene manipulation might have." Yeah, and we'll never find out if these yahoos have their way.
posted by kindall at 9:44 AM on October 12, 2001

It's terrible the way that this tears everyone apart. What would your average MetaFilistine do? Do you think that we should even be discussing this? Do you think that glowing pigs will ever be featured in a movie?
posted by Carol Anne at 11:32 AM on October 12, 2001

Still not as good as the genetically modified pig that is the KissMammal.
posted by phatboy at 11:58 AM on October 12, 2001

I did a huge paper about this for a bio-ethics class in college last semester. The problem I have with this kind of research is that it is "just for fun." Why don't we spend research money on something worth doing with cloning? It's not like there will be a big demand for glowing humans.
posted by xyzzy at 12:06 PM on October 12, 2001

The whole point behind using the flourescence gene from jellyfish is that it has an easy-to-spot result if it works, unlike most other genetic modifications -- same with the glowing mouse. The fact that "it's really cool" and it makes for great press coverage are side effects. This isn't just schlock science.

However, I'd like to see them make a full range of flourescent pigs -- yellow, green, blue, orange, pink -- to highlight the important aspects of this research.
(Get it? Highlight ? I kill me!)
posted by me3dia at 1:40 PM on October 12, 2001

I hate to be THAT GUY, but you know someone was going to mention "the war on terrorism" sooner or later. Here's how we win, using technology from the frontiers of science:

Create a glowing elephant and a glowing tiger. Clone them, creating an ARMY of GLOWING ELEPHANTS and TIGERS. Send them into Afghanistan at night, while helicopters with enormous blacklights circle overhead. Also, the helicopters will be have loudspeakers that blast Jimi Hendrix at an earsplitting volume.

Ten minutes later, war's over. Yeah, that ought to do it.
posted by Samsonov14 at 3:52 PM on October 12, 2001

the point is, people, is anybody working on a basselope?
posted by signal at 5:26 PM on October 12, 2001

Genetic research's peak was obviously during the early 90's with Bob Sagat's introduction of the loveable Jackelope into the entertainment world via America's Funniest Home Videos.
posted by tomorama at 4:23 PM on October 13, 2001