Glow in the Dark Cat Created by Scientists
Thursday, October 23, 2008

Scientists have genetically altered three kittens so they look fluorescent below ultra-violet light.

A team of scientists led by Kong Il-keun at Gyeongsang National University, South Korea, cloned the cats after manipulating a gene to alter their skin colour.

The fluffy white Turkish Angora cats now glow red when exposed to ultraviolet light and the scientists consider the process could be used to formulate treatments for a range of genetic maladies. The technology can also help clone threatened animals like tigers, leopards and wildcats.

To clone the cats the team employed skin cells of the mother cat and changed its genes to make them fluorescent by using a virus, which was transplanted into the ova. The ova were then embedded into the womb of the donor cat.

The three cats were born in January and February. One was stillborn while two others matured to become adult Turkish Angoras, weighing 3kg and 3.5kg.

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Posted byParvez Ahmed at 8:46 AM  

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