In Taiwan, they developed green luminous piglets. The goal of
their fluorescent cells is to help facilitate the work of geneticists.
Three green glowing male piglets were born thanks to the
efforts of scientists from the National Taiwan University. Professor Shin-Zhi
expressed the hope that their appearance will help in further research of stem
cells research.
Embryos with fluorescent green Jellyfish protein was
introduced into eight sows, but only four of them became pregnant, and only
three pregnancies ended with successful delivery.
The piglets have a greenish tinge even in ordinary daylight,
and in the ultraviolet rays they look quite bright green.
According to Shin-Zhi, this new generation of green piglets
allow fluorescence visually, without resorting to biopsy or other complex
procedures, to observe the development of tissues during stem cell
transplantation. Fluorescent green pigs already existed, the
scientist says, but only a partial fluorescence has been observed in pigs
taken to this day. The animals we have developed are the only pigs in the world
who have even a heart and internal organs of green color.
The researchers hope the pigs will boost the island's stem
cell research, as well as helping with the study of human disease. The
scientists, from the National Taiwan University's Department of Animal Science
and Technology, say that although the pigs are glow, they are otherwise no
different from any others.
So if, for instance, some of its stem cells are injected into
another animal, scientists can track how they develop without the need for a
biopsy or invasive test.
About Glowing Taiwanese Pigs
