Uruguayan scientists, with the help of advances in genetic engineering, have managed to raise sheep that glow in the dark.
In order to achieve this effect, the scientists used the genes of the jellyfish Aequarea, which were successfully introduced into the gene pool of sheep. Thus, scientists managed to get the cells of sheep to produce a fluorescent protein, which gave animals the opportunity to become fireflies.
Photo: hi-news.ru
The unusual sheep were born in October last year at the Uruguay Institute for Animal Reproduction. It is worth noting that when exposed to ultraviolet light, sheep begin to glow green. This is where the incredible abilities of animals end. According to scientists, in the daytime they are no different from ordinary sheep.
Leader of the group of scientists Alejo Menchaka notes that the luminous sheep were created in order to test the capabilities and calibrate scientific equipment. They used this protein because green is easily identified in animal tissues.
It is worth noting that the test subjects are the world's first luminous sheep, but far from the first living creatures whose genetic code has been modified. In the recent past, scientists have managed to create glow-in-the-dark zebra fish using the same fluorescent protein from the jellyfish Aequarea.
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Photo: infoniac.ru
Genetically modified zebra fish were named GloFish and were endowed with other proteins that allowed them to glow in the dark not only green, but also in red, orange, yellow, blue and purple.
In the future, scientists will make other species of animals glow, including cats, dogs, pigs, scorpions, worms, monkeys and mice. In their opinion, experiments with animal genes will help scientists determine the causes and development of certain diseases not only in animals, but also in humans.
Scientists from the Rosslyn Institute at the University of Edinburgh said in an interview with The Guardian that experiments with glow-in-the-dark cats would help study HIV in more detail. The knowledge gained can be used in the future to treat fatal diseases in humans.