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Glowing Cats a New Tool in AIDS Research

Posted by samzenpus on from the healing-glow dept.

sciencehabit writes "Scientists have developed a strain of green-glowing cat by infecting their eggs with a virus containing a foreign gene—the first time this method has worked in a carnivore. Experts say the advance could make the cat a valuable new genetic model—and potentially protect it from an HIV-like virus. "

12 of 107 comments (clear)

  1. Annoying at night... by Roogna · · Score: 4, Funny

    From my experience in life, my cats always liked trying to wake me up in the middle of the night. So now they'll be giving off light too? Great. Not an improvement.

    1. Re:Annoying at night... by ColdWetDog · · Score: 3, Funny

      I'm glad I quit doing hallucinogens a long time ago. Reality is getting to be just too damned weird as it is.

      --
      Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!
    2. Re:Annoying at night... by Reverand+Dave · · Score: 3, Informative

      The little neon tetra's at the pet store they sell for a buck each have phosphorescent proteins from jellyfish in them. The don't glow brightly, but they do glow.

      --
      I got here through a series of tubes
  2. Not impressed. by 140Mandak262Jamuna · · Score: 3, Funny

    Just some monochromatic green glow. Call me when the skin of the cat is a 1920x1080p display with 24bit color.

    --
    sed -e 's/Chuck Norris/Rajnikant/g' joke > fact
    1. Re:Not impressed. by djdanlib · · Score: 4, Funny

      It's probably going to take a while to decide on the cabling standard.

      The quarreling feline-luminescence-transport camps are currently divided between CAT-5meow, CAT-6, High Definition Meow Interface and DisplayPurr-t.

      Also, the mouse compatibility bug is being worked, but resolution appears to be a ways out still.

  3. please stop calling it "glowing" by v1 · · Score: 4, Informative

    It's fluorescing. Yes, technically that is a "glow" but glow is a lot more general term. All fluorescing items glow, but not all glowing items fluoresce. Most people that read "glow" will expect to turn out the lights and see a green cat without needing to shine an invisible special lighting on it.

    --
    I work for the Department of Redundancy Department.
    1. Re:please stop calling it "glowing" by sandytaru · · Score: 4, Funny

      If I had a cat like this I'd install the blacklights in my light fixtures and keep the normal lights off all the time.

      --
      Occasionally living proof of the Ballmer peak.
    2. Re:please stop calling it "glowing" by Macman408 · · Score: 3, Interesting

      And in the same strain of disappointing mainstream science reporting, basically everything I've read on this seems to focus on the "we made cats glow green" part, rather than the more serious part of the research, which is to protect against AIDS. The gene to make the cat's fur fluoresce green is just a marker so that they know which cats will also have the gene that could protect against AIDS, and can then run experiments to see if that gene works as they hope. That article seems to be better than average, in that it largely focuses on the AIDS part, and keeps the "omg glowing cats" restrained to the headline and a few spots in the body.

      I'm just waiting for the article about the research dog that harbors a cure for cancer, but more importantly, it can skateboard!

  4. Re:So.... by larry+bagina · · Score: 5, Funny

    It is a common belief in Africa (as it was in England in the 1800s) that fucking a virgin will cure STDs.

    But I have it on good authority that if you try to have sex with a lion, you will not die of AIDS.

    --
    Do you even lift?

    These aren't the 'roids you're looking for.

  5. Re:So.... by demonbug · · Score: 5, Funny

    It is a common belief in Africa (as it was in England in the 1800s) that fucking a virgin will cure STDs.

    But I have it on good authority that if you try to have sex with a lion, you will not die of AIDS.

    Oh how wrong you are; and trust me, Acquired Intense Disembowelment Syndrome is not a fun way to go.

  6. Commercial application by ProfMobius · · Score: 4, Informative

    Why are those people always making those cool GM pets and never sell them ?
    I want a glowing cat ! Just sell them already, I'm sure there is a market for that !

    --
    EULA : By reading the above message, you agree that I now own your soul.
    1. Re:Commercial application by Quiet_Desperation · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Because everyone panics like little pussies or imposes their little misinformed values on entire populations. They have those glowing tropical fish, and California promptly banned them. One of the state commissioners, Sam Schuchat, an emotional twit, even came out publicly and said it want *not* science but a question of values- *his* values. *He* thought was wrong and spouted a pile of new age religious crap as justification.