Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Glowing in the dark

Scientists play cat and mouse in two related stories.

First, South Korean scientists cloned cats with a gene that produces a red fluorescent protein that makes them glow in the dark when exposed to ultraviolet rays. The experiment may help people with certain genetic disorders.

In another experiment, Japanese scientists found and turned off the gene that causes a mouse's fear of cats, removing through genetic engineering the nasal cells that mice use to detect cat odor. Thus a mouse's fear is genetic and not learned behavior.

It's just a matter of time - and studies - when we'll find out if both cats and mice fear people that glow in the dark.

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