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Chinese Scientists Create Genetically Modified Low-Fat Pigs (npr.org)
Chinese scientists have created low-fat pigs using new genetic engineering techniques. "In a paper published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the scientists report that they have created 12 healthy pigs with about 24 percent less body fat than normal pigs," reports NPR. From the report: The scientists created low-fat pigs in the hopes of providing pig farmers with animals that would be less expensive to raise and would suffer less in cold weather. The animals have less body fat because they have a gene that allows them to regulate their body temperatures better by burning fat. That could save farmers millions of dollars in heating and feeding costs, as well as prevent millions of piglets from suffering and dying in cold weather. The Chinese scientists created the animals using a new gene-editing technique known as CRISPR-Cas9. It enables scientists to make changes in DNA much more easily and precisely than ever before. Pigs lack a gene, called UPC1, which most other mammals have. The gene helps animals regulate their body temperatures in cold temperatures. The scientists edited a mouse version of the gene into pig cells. They then used those cells to create more than 2,553 cloned pig embryos. Next, scientists implanted the genetically modified cloned pig embryos into 13 female pigs. Three of the female surrogate mother pigs became pregnant, producing 12 male piglets, the researchers report.
Chinese Scientists Create Less Tasty Pigs
Chinese Scientists Create Genetically Modified Low-Fat Pigs
But what are they for?
Do not look into laser with remaining eye.
Baconless pig is for millenials.
I want one of the following predicted genetic modifications for pigs: 1. Create bacon that has omega-3 fatty acids so that it's actually good for you. 2. Modify the pigs to chew their cud so that the meat will be kosher.
Fat is an insulator, what polar bears and arctic seals have.
Don't they mean suffer in HOT weather?
They then used those cells to create more than 2,553 cloned pig embryos. Next, scientists implanted the genetically modified cloned pig embryos into 13 female pigs.
That's a lot (196) of embryos per pig. The female pigs would have exploded if the embryos had all been viable.
At least the piglets look cute.
The animals were slaughtered when they were six months old so scientists could analyze their bodies.
Oh damn, that was harsh.
Let the bacon jokes begin...
https://xkcd.com/1904/
Im an athiest too so the bar is... well living in a weird place.
Chinese find a way to leave you feeling even hungrier after eating Chinese food. News at 11:00.
Yes, but many athists would agree there is just some things that have to be called a "sin". I support you in removal of the evil "turkey bacon". Repent!! Repent!! Do not be deceived by "turkey bacon" any longer. Behold the one true bacon!
prevent millions of piglets from suffering and dying in cold weather
Yeah, suffering in a factory farm and dying at the hands of hungry Chinese at 1 year old is so much better.
A gene that gives the lower-fat pigs more flavor, otherwise, I don't see how this is an improvement over white-meat chicken.
Pigs that grow wool
Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
I used to go hunting a lot. Feral pigs (or boars) are super aggressive and destroy the area they are in. You need a reasonably large caliber rifle to kill them, they breed like crazy and are full of worms so you can't eat them. They will attack humans, are smarter than a dog and boars can grow pretty big - you would not want to mess with one unless you had a weapon.
*Anything* that can potentially get into the wild, like a genetically engineered pig that can survive cold, is a really, really bad idea. Expect at least one of these pigs to escape and breed in the wild.
This is an extremely short sighted endeavor.
My ism, it's full of beliefs.
Israeli Scientists Create Genetically Modified Kosher Pigs
I eat only the real part of complex carbohydrates.
Zombie pig apocalypse!!!1!
I, for one, welcome our new In-pig-men Overlords, and wish someone had realized how close the pig genome was to humans before we were replaced, once they learned how to code telepathically our robot slaves.
All hail the Porkamon Empire!
-- Tigger warning: This post may contain tiggers! --
OK, I am going to invent dehydrated water. Top that Chinese scientists.
sed -e 's/Chuck Norris/Rajnikant/g' joke > fact
Something I noticed - pork in my birth country, Australia, is already low fat, due to selective breeding. Here in Asia it is very fatty - people seem to prefer that.
If it acquires resources on instantiation like a duck, then its a shared_ptr<Duck>
They bought a bigger exercise pen for the pigs.
...engineer pigs which have the taste and texture of vegetables?
Requiem for the American Dream
Not long now until muscle bound pigs escaping and rapidly evolving to feed on humans.
Why would you think it wouldn't be heritable? TFA confirms that the method was applied to embryos, so presumably most, if not all, of their cells would contain the modified gene.
This is my signature. There are many like it, but this one is mine.
Didn't they learn anything from watching how this ends in too many sci-fi movies? https://www.youtube.com/watch?...
Less fat?!?!? These so-called scientists need to wake up. We've been brainwashed for over 30 years to avoid fat. How well has that worked? We're fatter than ever. Meanwhile, over 30 years ago a quiet voice in the void said we should avoid carbohydrates and eat much more fat. More than 30 million people listened to Dr. Atkins and those scientists who followed him and they are healthier than ever. Scientists have confirmed the less carbs / more fat plan but government and commercial interests are still pushing the low fat dogma.
It's not just your body that suffers from starchy foods, you are 40% more likely to develop dementia. Eat more fat, less carbs!
...omphaloskepsis often...
You know what is worse than turkey bacon? Beef bacon. From the name you think it is combining two delicious things into one, got to be good right? Wrong. It is so very wrong, but around here has pretty much displaced turkey bacon as the safe breakfast food that anyone can eat choice at hotel buffets and the like (they don't seem to consider Hindus in that analysis).
If restaurants had to adhere to the dietary requirements of every religion in the world then they'd be able to serve nothing. Something has to give unless there is a sufficient number of non-conflicting dietary standards that a hotel could have a restaurant, or group of restaurants, that it would make sense to have multiple separate kitchens to satisfy them all. If all the restaurant served was beef bacon and beef sausages as meat for breakfast then perhaps the Hindus need to be satisfied with the omelets and cheesy potatoes for protein. Hopefully for supper there will be a chicken dinner on the menu.
I am armed because I am free. I am free because I am armed.
Pigs.. low-fat... CRISPR-Cas9...
Are they making low-fat, crisper bacon?
#DeleteFacebook
Less fat stored from a single gene change? More fat burned when it's cold?
Sign me up and if anyone needs me I'll be in the outdoor swimming pool.
It's sugar.
I'd settle for the Chinese scientists fixing their pigs so that they weren't generating new flu strains to export to the rest of the world. Pigs and humans are close physiologically, close enough where flu viruses jump. One of the big flu generating areas is southern China where farmers apparently get a bit to comfy with their livestock.
Medieval Northern Europeans had to deal with plenty of cold pigs, so they built two story houses and put the pigs on the first floor. Both pigs and people stayed nice and warm.
"Without the grease all you can taste is the hog anus"
~ Homer Simpson
Now find the gene that makes humans less fatty and sell it to trump. $$$$$$$
Right? Pigs that go wild are supposedly destroying land and pushing out native wildlife all over the US. Do we need to make them even more resilient (to weather)?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...
Casteism
just don't put them through extensive feeding but let them grow up slowly.