Slashdot Mirror
U.S. Gov't Grows Giant Mutant Trout
An anonymous reader writes "USDA scientists are genetically engineering trout that have three sets of chromosomes instead of the usual two. Trout with three chromosome grow faster because they are unable to reproduce, and energy from the food they eat is shifted from reproduction to growth. No word on whether said trout produce more fish fingers than their non-Frankenstein brothers."
First you give me sea bass, mutated sea bass and now these? I asked for sharks with frickin' laser beams attached to their heads, people!
Can I get the goverment to make a genetically-altered giant version
of all my other favorite foods too? (e.g. Twinkies)
I don't know...have they finished sequencing the Twinkie genome yet? ^_^
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~ |rip/\/\aster /\/\onkey
Energy is shifted from reproduction to growth?
Polyploid organisms are bigger because their cells are bigger, not because their energy is transferred.
They also say that because the triploid trout can't reproduce, there is no danger to existing stocks, but they seem to have forgotten the fertile tetraploid trout used to produce them.
Interesting factiod: the same technique used to produce the triploid trout is used to produce the triploid seedless watermelons in your supermarket.
Nothing really new to see here. These fish are already being planted in lakes in Washington State. They are called triplods. They are usually planted in heavily fished lakes for sport fishermen to catch. I guess not many slashdotters are sport fishermen.