Glow in the Dark Beagles
What is the Point of Making a Dog Glow
- Dogs can have 268 genetic type diseases that are similar to those of humans
- The scientist that created Tegon said that "genes injected to make the dog glow could be substituted with genes that trigger fatal diseases." This means that scientists could further their research on diseases like Parkinson's and see how they develop
- Dogs have been chosen because they are able to communicate to the scientists unlike the rats.
Opposing Views
- Organizations like Peta are against all forms of animal abuse, using dogs in a laboratory is one of them.
- Peta posted an article discussing the different ways dogs are abused in laboratories used for research
- http://www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-experimentation/dogs-laboratories/
How Did the Scientists Make Tegon Glow
My Opinion
1. They inserted the gene that causes fluorescence (taken from an octopus) into dog's cells
2. DNA was extracted from an unfertilized egg and the modified dog cells are added in
3. The egg was fertilized through a process called Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer, which turns it into an embryo
4. The embryo was placed into a surrogate mother
5. Tegon was born
- I do not agree with the use of animals in labs however, I do believe that it is necessary for us to learn more about diseases and try to find cures.
- Animals used in labs are not always treated with the respect that they deserve, they are potentially saving thousands of lives, for that reason they should be taken care of rather than being stuck in cages while being force fed and injected with chemicals.
Intended Audience
- The main intended audience is scientists researching Human diseases
- The other audience is people generally interested in a glowing dog.
What is in the Article
It is said that fluorescent pets will become a trend in the future, if it does, would you be interested in buying a glow in the dark animal?
Further Discussion
- This article mainly focuses on a beagle named Tegon
- It discusses the process the dog embryo went through to achieve the fluorescent gene
- It compares this dog to the several other animals out there that have been genetically engineered to glow
- It also mentions the positive effects this experiment will have in medical research
How Does This Relate to Biology
- This article relates to the topic of genetic engineering.
- The embryo of the beagle that is mentioned in this article was altered and a gene that causes the animal to glow was added in.
- The Tegon is a genetically modified organism.
What are your opinions on using dogs/other animals for research purposes?
Biases Detected
- The author of this article fully supports genetically modifying dogs
- It is said that the process does not harm the animal, however, this experiment has not been done enough times to confirm that statement
- The author supports the proposal of using dogs to help with research on human diseases similar to rats.
http://news.discovery.com/animals/zoo-animals/beagle-dog-glows-green-110801.htm