GM Nightmare Coming Our Way

June 17, 2003

Although the article below is not specifically talking about

food or health, the consequences terrify me. It looks like the end

of our planetary ecosystem could well occur in my lifetime.

Alobar

____

'Fluorescent fish' give the green light to GM pets

Robin McKie, science editor

Sunday June 15, 2003

The Observer

Scientists have created the ultimate pet: genetically modified fish

that glow in the dark. In future, there will be no need for aquarium

lights - fluorescent fish will provide their own illumination.

And that is just the start. Scientists believe Night Pearl bio-fish

represent the shape of pets to come. Our household animals will come

with extra genes that will stop them shedding fur or triggering

allergic reactions. And when one dies, its owner will simply clone

it.

But the prospect of GM pets has outraged pet dealers. The nation's

aquarium industry last week said it had backballed the Night Pearl.

'This is the thin end of the wedge,' said Keith Davenport, chief

executive of the Ornamental Aquatic Trade Association. 'You could put

all sorts of different genes in animals and do all sorts of damage.'

The Night Pearl began as a research tool created by HJ Tsai, a

professor at National Taiwan University. He was looking for a way to

make fish organs easier to see when studying them, and isolated a

gene for a fluorescent protein that he had extracted from jellyfish

and inserted it into the genome of a zebrafish. To his astonishment,

the jellyfish gene made whole zebrafish glow.

Prof Tsai thought no more about it until he showed a slide at a

conference - where it caught the eye of the Taikong Corporation. The

fish produce company agreed to fund his experiments in exchange for

the use of his techniques.

Now the first fruits of this collaboration have gone on sale in

Taiwan and will soon appear in the US. The Night Pearls glow in

different red and green patterns thanks to genes from jellyfish and

marine coral. Now the team is working on a glowing dragon fish, which

many Asians believe is a lucky species.

Prof Tsai does not worry about his fish contaminating local

populations of zebrafish, as more than 90 per cent have been

sterilised. However, marine researchers say that this is not enough

to prevent GM fish polluting natural populations.

And that is the scenario that worries British aquarium enthusiasts.

'One idea being explored is to add genes - taken from cold water

fish - that will allow tropical fish to live in unheated aquarium,'

said Derek Lambert, editor of Today's Fishkeeper. 'Just imagine what

would happen if they got released. You could end up with strange

coloured GM tropical fish in our waters.'

Scientists have not restricted their GM work to aquarium creatures.

In other experiments, scientists have attempted to engineer cats that

do not produce allergens.

Several US biotechnologists are working on cloning pets. However,

customers could get a shock. Last year, scientists in Texas created

Cc, for Copy Cat, but the resulting kitten looked nothing like its

originator.

http://education.guardian.co.uk/higher/news/story/0,9830,978391,00.html

June 18, 2003

The Ocean is absolutely loaded with fluorescent fish!

Please stir some Seawater in the dark!

Please differentiate between fact and hysteria.

Lorenzo

Alobar [alobar]

Tuesday, June 17, 2003 12:58 PM

Gettingwell