Taiwan Breeds Transgenic, Fluorescent Green Pigs

ScentCone writes "Transgenic pigs (and other critters) are valuable research tools because of their utility in studying human diseases. Tracking changes in some developing tissues is going to be easier, say a Taiwanese team that has introduced fluorescent, green proteins into the breeding. Said one of the researchers: 'There are partially fluorescent green pigs elsewhere, but ours are the only ones in the world that are green from inside out. Even their hearts and internal organs are green.' Do you like green eggs and ham?"

How Would You Like To Swing On A Star?

[ackthpt]

How would you like to swing on a star,
Carry moonbeans home in a jar,
You could be better off than you are,
You could be a fluorescent green pig!

Now the new pig is an animal with a bright green hide
His wings are powerful and wide!
He flies majestically through the skies
'Cause know genetic engineering risks are a pack of lies!
So if PETA and Greenpeace are your gigs,
You may be bombed a flying green pigs!

Green pigs eh?

[nizo]

So where are the winged pigs already? I would pay good money for one the next time I ask my boss for two weeks of vacation and he says, "You can have two weeks off when pigs fly".

And while you are creating freaks o' nature, please sign my future offspring up for a pair of wings, skin with chlorophyll, and night vision.

Stupid Pigs

[sarlos]

They're keeping all the other animals in the barn awake!

uh-oh

[Anonymous Coward]

You mean those animals i see after my 10th tequila are real?

I grew up on a farm and ...

[eldavojohn]

... I don't think this meat would sell so well in the market.

Furthermore, after reading the two links, I'm not exactly clear on what the benefit is when you turn them green. I assume it's so you can tell who's mated with the new pigs because the transgenic coloration will be present in the offspring?

From the article:

But creating them has not been easy. Many of the altered embryos failed to develop.

Four out of 265 is a pretty low rate.

I wonder how this will affect their ability to survive in nature and I also wonder if the Polynesian Islands will one day be covered with rainbow colored pigs left there by researchers trying to do stem cell research.

Researcher 1: "Has he got any orange on him?"
Researcher 2: "Nope but he's got red, green and purple all about him."
Researcher 1: "Then he's not one a carrier."
Researcher 2: "That's one ugly pig though." *looks in his Audubon Society guide* "According to his colors, he's got Alzheimer's genes, cancer genes and is extremely susceptible to syphilis...poor bastard."

Now I can have green eggs

[fighthairloss]

and green ham. Sam I am.

Green Ham and Eggs?

[Shadow Wrought]

Just doesn't have the same ring to it, does it? Of course St. Patrick's Day breakfast could get a bit easier tho'...

Greens pigs are nothing more than red herrings

[FerretFrottage]

for what they are really trying to do--create plaid monkeys.

News flash!

[thepotoo]

my future offspring
Buddy, I have some sad news for you:

You post on slashdot.

obligatory Chris Rock quote

[d80god]

"Don't eat no red meat? No, don't eat no green meat."

Sometimes it just writes itself.

[Tackhead]

> There are partially fluorescent green pigs elsewhere, but ours are the only ones in the world that are green from inside out."

This is not the Kermit and Miss Piggy sex tape you were looking for.

I saw a pig upon a stair,
A verdant pig that wasn't there,
It wasn't there again today,
Gee, I wish he'd go away.

I never saw a glowing pig,
I never hope to be one,
But I'll tell you this right now,
I'd rather see than be one.

Re:Next stop...

[massivefoot]

I dunno, but if the pigs start laying eggs, worry!

Re:How Would You Like To Swing On A Star?

[hotdiggitydawg]

To bastardise a Simpsons quote (Episode 7G10)...

Homer: (trolling Slashdot) Apple story..... another Apple story! One more and I'm a millionaire! Come on, Apple story, please, please, please, please, please. D'oh! That fluorescent green pig thing! Where were you yesterday?

Vulcan pigs?

[ddkilzer]

So you're telling me that the pigs' blood is green, too? Doesn't that make them Vulcan?

Re:But...

[Locke2005]

Anything can be made to fly, given sufficient thrust! Just strap a couple JATO units on that porker and stand back... far, far, far back.

Re:Translucent Pigs?

[inKubus]

Green BACON. Mmm, bacon.

Actually, this could give rise to a new kind of "free range" livestock, where you could just let them wander wherever you want and then when you need to round them up you use a UV spotlight and you can see them almost anywhere. Of course, they would be Genetically Engineered Free Range, which might be the juxtaposition that kills the deal.

Sounds like just the perfect

[thaerin]

Sounds like just the perfect thing you'd need to play a great practical joke with on your stoner roommate. Wait until they're really high, turn on all the black lights, and then shuffle in a few of the green pigs.

Re:Fluorescent green spam!

[fighthairloss]

Actually, Spam is a naturally occuring substance, found all over North America, but particularly concentrated in the American heartland states.

It is from the legendary Pink Spam Mines of Kansas is where the greatest yields used to be from. That was until the mega-corporate spam concerns bought out all the independent mines or just put them out of business.

My father was one of the last of the hearty breed of Spammers (not the same spammers we talk about today). I remember as a kid he'd come home after work, covered in pink chunks and dripping with gelatinous goo - he used to set down his hardhat on our porch, where every day it was ilicked clean by my puppy Max.

For some reason, Max died an early death.

Valuable indeed...

[MadTinfoilHatter]

"Transgenic pigs (and other critters) are valuable research tools because of their utility in studying human diseases."

...'cause one day when you come down with a real serious disease that turns you fluorecent and green, you'll be thanking these guys. :-P

Not sure what the big deal is

[smooth wombat]

Where I live we've had glowing pigs since 1979. In fact, most everything around here glows.

What's really neat is at night you don't need to turn the lights on around the house to see. Your natural bodily glow provides enough light for you to see. Even better, if you get up in the middle of the night you never have to worry about stepping on your cat or dog because you can easily see them.

However, it should be noted that image of glowing bodies under the covers can be quite disturbing for the uninitiated so the orgies have to be kept to a minimum.

Yes, I survived Three Mile Island. Gallows humor is what keeps me going.

Pork...

[digitaldc]

Pork....the other green meat.

Did anyone else notice...

[metternich]

that the author of the BBC article is Chris Hogg?

I for one look forward to it.

[ds_job]

I can't tell you the number of times that I have mislaid my pig's hearts in the dark. Now I'll never need to do my "abomination against $DEITY" experiments with the light on again.
*mwhahah*

Soylent Green is Pigs!

[gomel]

I tried to warn you but you wouldn't listen!

Re:Green pigs eh?

[WormholeFiend]

I would pay good money for one the next time I ask my boss for two weeks of vacation and he says, "You can have two weeks off when pigs fly".

Just show him a photo of a police helicopter in flight. Then book your vacation.

Me, I'm holding out for a true phosphorescent pet. But not one of those glow-squids because they don't live very long.

Re:uh-oh

[Anonymous Coward]

They were real after the first. After the tenth you woke up with one.

Kind of cool, I guess...

[Anonymous Coward]

but can they run Linux?

Re:Journal Article?

[Anonymous Coward]

I'm curious what promoter they used to drive expression of GFP in every cell.

I heard they went with Don King, apparently he has experience working around cells.

Re:Pigs are filthy animals. - Oblig Simpsons

[bcattwoo]

Homer: Wait a minute wait a minute wait a minute. Lisa honey, are you
              saying you're *never* going to eat any animal again? What about
              bacon?
Lisa: No.
Homer: Ham?
Lisa: No.
Homer: Pork chops?
Lisa: Dad! Those all come from the same animal!
Homer: Yeah, right Lisa. A wonderful, magical animal.

You can do this at home

[HumanTorch]

Just by leaving meat in your fridge for long enough..

Re:Pigs like that will be easier prey

[ENOENT]

The pigs are just an excuse. Once the countryside is ravaged by fluorescent green pigs, Monsanto will make billions selling stealthy black velociraptors to hunt them.

At least, that's their plan.

Checklist of Life

[jrmiller84]

-End World Hunger -Find a cure for Cancer -Intelligent Design? -Are we alone? -Flourescent pigs Phew! Glad that one's off the list!

Re:I grew up on a farm and ...

[Anonymous Coward]

Then you could train it into an attack pig! Imagine the hilarity of someone being mauled by a glowing green pig.

Re:Green pigs eh?

[BluBrick]

Dude, you already have something you can stick a Tagalog thumbdrive in before you fly to Manila - if that's the kind of thing that floats your boat!

Re:Green = dangerous + eew!

[Jonathunder]

"If the ham is green, how are we supposed to spot this stuff?"

We have to genetically modify the little green worms to be bright red, of course.

Re:How Would You Like To Swing On A Star?

[Anonymous Coward]

Actually the photos on the bbc website remind me of the porn movie of Paris Hilton and some guy. She was just as green as the pigs. Maybe she's also.. uhh never mind.