Original source : http://www.smashinglists.com
Posted : November 2013
Author : Kate
There can be no doubt that the discovery of DNA and the
mapping of the genome are remarkable medical breakthroughs. With such
information about how genetics works, we can trace the path of genetic
diseases, and predict where they might occur. We can work on cures for these
diseases and prevention. There are so many important medical uses of the genome
that it has already led to significant advances by scientists working to
enhance the fortunes of humanity. And then, there are other scientists who just seem to be
having fun with it. Splicing genes just to see what happens and what kind of
Frankenstein-esque animals and plants they can create. And those are the ones
we’re taking a look at in our Top 10 Weirdest Experiments with Nature.
Cabbage isn’t the most appealing vegetable ever – it’s a
cheap filler for uninspiring stews, the basis of bizarre diets and an
Eastern European staple. So, how to make the humble cabbage even less enticing?
How about lining it with scorpion venom? That’s what the Oxford Institute of
Virology, England ,
have done as they created a cabbage that contained the venom as a “natural”
pesticide. The Institute first ran tests back in 1994, when scientists sprayed
scorpion venom onto a field of cabbages, but now they have gone one step
further, and integrated the venom into the cabbage itself, albeit in a form
that is not toxic to humans. It means a saving on pesticide, as it’s contained
within the cells of the plant but also means that the pesticide goes into your
system. But it’s friendly pesticide, so that’s OK, right?
9. GloFish
If you want an example of scientists just doing things for a
science-y kick, look no further than the GloFish. Genetically engineered
to glow in the dark, they serve little purpose other than looking pretty. The
advertising blurbs says “They are a brilliant addition to any home, office, or
classroom and they are perfect for hobbyists and beginners alike” and they come
in 6 exciting colors. But is it right to mess with a fish’s DNA just to brighten
up a classroom? The research apparently started with a noble aim in mind –
the fish were engineered as pollution detectors, glowing helpfully whenever
they came in contact with a pollutant. Creating the 21st century equivalent of
coalmine canaries is questionable in itself, but then to apply this same
gene-meddling to a commercial venture? It’s a bit bizarre. But they’ll sure
brighten up your dentist’s office.
8. Grapple
There’s more meddling with nature for money in this next
entry – the Grapple. It looks like an apple, tastes like a grape. And if
you think that’s odd, that’s because it is. Apparently kids can’t stand the apple-y taste of those
apples they’ve been carrying around in their lunchboxes all these years. They
prefer grapes! But no, grapes are too easy to squash and they’re so small, and
just downright wrong-looking. If only someone could fuse these two things so
that kids could enjoy the crunch of an apple with the sweetness of a grape.
Well, science is here to help and now you can! Moms love them because they’re
so healthy and kids love them because…kids love weird stuff. A prime
example of a product you never knew you needed.
7. Flavr Savr Tomato
And just to prove the point that nature really isn’t good
enough, here’s the flavr savr tomato. The first genetically-engineered food to
be approved by the FDA, it was meant to retain its flavor far better than an
ordinary tomato. The tomato was put on sale in 1994 and enjoyed a brief
popular spell before its makers, Calgene, decided that the costs involved in
making them wasn’t worth it. The reaction was mixed, but mostly unenthusiastic. The flavr
savr may have had a longer shelf life, but the variety it was bred from meant
it wasn’t particularly tasty to begin with. It was an interesting breakthrough
but ultimately failed.
6. Super-fast Mice
Having had some close encounters with mice recently, I can
testify that they are pretty fast little creatures. Definitely fast enough to
nibble a hole in my Easter Egg and run away before I can wield a trap at them.
So, I don’t see the need to make them any faster. But the researchers at Lausanne College
5. Cancer-fighting Eggs
Now here’s an application of genetic engineering that could
make a huge, positive difference….but it’s still a bit odd. In 2007, Scientists
from the Roslin Institute produced a breed of hen that laid eggs with cancer-fighting
properties. The chickens had human genes added to their DNA and the result was
that the whites of their eggs contained the medicinal proteins, which could
then be separated back out again. The idea was welcomed by cancer charities,
but six years on, it doesn’t seem to have caught on. Perhaps the idea of using
another creature to give birth to medicine was just a bit too strange for the
world at large? Either way, it seems like a worthwhile use of genetics.
4. Banana Vaccine
There’s more food/medicine fusion in this next entry, which
is a banana laced with a Hepatitis B vaccine. Developed in 2007, which seems to
be something of a vintage year for weird genetic experiments, it was intended
for use in developing countries where facilities for sterilizing needles might
not exist, making traditional vaccines unsafe. Instead, people would be offered
a genetically modified banana, which had been grown from a tree injected with
the Hepatitis B virus. That sounds much safer, doesn’t it? The explanation goes something like this – when the sapling
is injected with the virus, the genes from the virus become part of the
sapling’s DNA, and grow bananas which contain the virus proteins, but not the
infectious part. When someone eats the banana, their body produces antibodies
against the virus, as it would with a normal vaccine. Again, the idea never
seemed to catch on, and recent reports suggest that the plan had been
abandoned, as it was too difficult to scale up.
3. Dolly the Sheep
Of course, no list of genetic freakishness would be complete
without Dolly, the lovable sheep clone that hit the headlines in 1996.
Dolly was not the first cloned animal, but she was the first mammal to have
been cloned from an adult cell. A cursory knowledge of sci-fi tells you that
the future will be full of cloned humans, and many saw this as the first step
towards a nightmarish future where people were grown in laboratories. That may still happen, but it seems that scientists are
still ironing out the kinks in the procedure. As she was cloned from a
6-year-old, Dolly’s cells may have been prematurely aged, contributing to her
death at the age of 6 (sheep normally live till 11 or 12). Not quite ready to
unleash on humans yet then…!
2. Glow in the Dark Cats
Be warned – things are getting seriously strange from here
on. If you thought that the fluorescent fish were a bit freaky, how about
applying the same science to our furry feline friends? In what must have been
some kind of drunken dare, scientists used luminescent jellyfish DNA to produce
cats that glowed in the dark. I suppose it’s handy for people who often trip
over their black cats on dark nights, but it seems somewhat cruel. Wouldn’t a
glow-in-the-dark collar be cheaper and just as effective? Apparently, there is a scientific application, as the
luminescence helps trace the path of imported genes and so can be used to fight
the cat version of AIDS. But it really does sound like something a bunch
of scientists came up with when drunk, doesn’t it?
1. Cow People
And for our top entry – the Man Cow. It was inevitable that
someone would start messing around with human DNA at some point, and maybe it
was also predictable that it would be Chinese scientists that would
do it. Calls to outlaw the freaky cow-people that were shaking their udders at
all and sundry have been slightly exaggerated – all the scientists actually did
was to splice human DNA into cows in order to make their milk more like human
breastmilk. That’s acceptable, right? Maybe it’s a noble cause, but the merging of humans and cows
on a genetic level is nothing but disturbing. It will almost certainly lead to
the aforementioned cow-people forming an army and trampling all the
non-cow-people in their way. Or something like that. It certainly deserves its
place as our number 1 weirdest experiment with nature.
~Blog Admin~
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