Genetiate is a biotech company working on that one thing the world has been crying out for:
glow-in-the-dark deer. It's such a bizarre project, that it screams hoax. The amateur quality of its website reinforces this impression. But I think it's real. Genetiate is a division of Geneticas Life Sciences. Those are the same people who, through yet another division, are creating the
hypoallergenic cats. But why create a glow-in-the-dark deer? So that it will more easily be seen by motorists. The site gives this explanation:
"By implanting the gene of a special jellyfish into deer, the transgenic NIGHTSAVE deer produced by GENETIATE (patent pending) have fluorescing hair and skin when illuminated by car headlights. The implanted gene has no other effect on the deer, who appear normal in daylight." The illogical thing about this is that even if they create a couple of these special deer (or even if they create thousands of them), that's hardly going to have an effect on the wild deer population as a whole, who will still be just as invisible to motorists.
Comments
Provided the offspring of these glow-in-the-dark deer also fluoresce, then over time their survival advantage should lead to them overcoming their less illuminating cousins.
And I for one welcome our new glowing ruminant overlords.
However, I thought they only fluoresced under UV light? Would regular car headlights even work?
Animals who are nocturnal don't need light to see & a glow might also effect their vision. Maybe?
And...500,000? Do you REALLY think everyone reported their deer hit to the insurance or to the police to be recorded? I don't think so. A lot of people take their deer HOME.
Exhibit A: the photo is clearly of the same two deer, photoshopped for a green glow.
Exhibit B: car headlights won't cause fluorescence
For some real science about trangenic mice with GFP (green fluorescent protein, derrived from jellyfish) , look here: http://pr.caltech.edu/periodicals/336/articles/Volume 2/01-24-02/mouse.html
For lots of links to Alba, the GFP bunny, look here:
http://www.ekac.org/gfpbunny.html
To see the photo, you have to click on a link that identifies it as a simulation. They don't claim it's actually glowing deer. Not that I think this is this is for real, but they cop to the photo being a fake up front.
http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99996594
Would that be considered cheating?
Although like it has been pointed out originally, the mice that were spliced to carry jellyfish genes fluoresce under ultraviolet light, not normal white light. If the deer splicing even works, cars (and hunters) would need to be equipped with UV lights in order for the deer to look at all glowy.
Also questionable:
http://www.wired.com/news/print/0,1294,54399,00.html
We then tie the deer to a stake and feed it lots of deer kinda food. At night, we use the deers light to have friendly banter and tell camping tales.
When we leave, we let the deer go free, to which the deer always says "Thank you".
My friend uses roadkill lumideer instead of headlights for his truck. As a matter of fact, all the rooms at his house are lit by lumideer remains. I never call round his house anymore, because the stench makes me gag.
Oh look! The nice doctors are coming back for me.
how on earth could anyone even think that this would benefit the deer?
For one thing, why can't we just leave them alone and let evolution deal with the crash fatalities?
And, as several people have pointed out, this would probably not affect the number of deer crashes every year, for several possible reasons.
It is also doubtful that it would not affect the deer in some way, in regards to their health.
And, guess what, this will make them easier to hunt at night !!
yay, lots of glowing DEAD deer!