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Genetic Modification Produces Mighty Mouse

Posted by Zonk on from the always-liked-danger-mouse-and-duckula-better dept.

Identity Missing writes "An Ohio laboratory has produced genetically modified mice which 'can run five to six kilometres at a speed of 20 meters per minute on a treadmill, for up to six hours before stopping,' as well as a number of other remarkable feats. An enzyme called phosphoenolypyruvate carboxykinases (PEPCK-C) is apparently responsible, and we should hope that the scientists are correct in saying that athletes won't be modifying their genes any time soon to get it, because it apparently makes the mice more aggressive. If anyone feels a super villain coming on, at least we can rely on these Mighty Mice. A video demonstrates just how much these little guys beat the competition."

7 of 320 comments (clear)

  1. I for one by WormholeFiend · · Score: 5, Interesting

    hope that these rodents don't escape the lab.

    Ordinary mice are hard enough to control as pests...

    1. Re:I for one by welcher · · Score: 3, Interesting

      It seems unlikely that this would actually confer a selective advantage on the mouse - being able to run like crazy but need almost twice as much food doesnt sound like a good strategy to me.

    2. Re:I for one by eastlight_jim · · Score: 2, Interesting

      A mouse like this will face a penalty for its increased speed. For a start, they will require more food (a scarce enough resource for any wild mouse) and since PEPCK is involved in gluconeogenesis (the manufacture of glucose from precursors such as protein and lipids) they will likely have a harder time laying down the fat needed to survuive the colder months.

      Also, since these are albino mice they will likely face increased threat from predation (like most other albino animals) and thus face a significant selective pressure against them.

      Hopefully the scientists won't let them escape but if they do, natural selection should lead to them being removed from the gene pool quite quickly.

  2. Steroids make people more agressive, too. by mr_mischief · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I see little reason to think that we'll see any social arguments about this genetic modification that we don't already see about a) steroids, hormones, and precursors or b) genetic modifications in general.

    Isn't this linked to the Wired article from over three years ago about experiments at Howard Hughes Medical Institute in which researchers were messing with PPAR-delta and got similar results? Where's the reference to earlier work on the subject?

  3. Re:If they experimented on humans this much... by Lord+Ender · · Score: 1, Interesting

    Why is it unethical? If you could save thousands of lives by curing a disease, but curing the disease required potentially deadly experiments on a few people, wouldn't it be unethical NOT to proceed with the research?

    --
    A slashdotter who didn't build his own computer is like a Jedi who didn't build his own lightsaber.
  4. The first thing I thought of was... by Faw · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Captain America and the super-soldier serum.

  5. Re:If they experimented on humans this much... by AdmiralDouglas · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Just don't forget that their are numerous requirements from politics that keep this sort of thing from happening. Look at Cancer research. A scientist doing a study on his treatment isn't going to let just anyone sign up, he's going to turn down anyone who is in a later stage of cancer because they're likely going to die anyway and his numbers will look terrible.

    Most research doesn't want to use someone who is terminally ill because their reports start to look bad. They aren't going to stack the odds against themselves. So now it requires people who are moderately healthy to try this stuff on. And did you notice the number of mice it is taking to do this study accurately? 500. 500 people who are moderately healthy. Now it's one thing if it's a beauty product, or some fat reducing pill. But it's quite another when it's a dangerous operation that very easily could kill you.

    And now back to the subject at hand, these mice have had their genetics messed with. These guys were part of this experiment before they were born. I agree, that if we could get consenting, well-informed volunteers for this it would be great, but how do you inform an embryo? How do you get consent?

    And as for the cracks between all those areas, there ARE many studies that they do on humans. These are the studies that have a pretty light chance of killing or maiming you, and therefore also have a pretty light chance of giving you super powers (like these mice). Low Risk, Low reward.