When Pigs Glow

[[jonrev]]

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/Health ... id=1498324

[CoasterDude12-2]

Don't scientists have anything better to do?

[mschulz5]

Last time I checked, there was still this little disease called cancer lurking about. Why the hell are scientists spending time glowing pigs in the dark when they could be trying to prevent the disease that kills millions every year?

Bulls**t is what it is.

M(who lost his best friend to cancer in 5th grade)schulz5

[Trailblazer Tony]

I want my nose to glow in the dark...

[EagleFan344]

I agree with Schulz, there are more important things to research.

[Mr. SFGAm]

Wow. What a waste of time, and money.

[RBull4life]

You know what I want to glow in the dark? I want my ............nevermind

[EagleFan344]

^I can guess

[ihauntu2]

The purpose of them doing this is to make it easier to identify swine that have been genetically modified. Scientists are reworking pigs genetic code in order to develop possible new ways for humans to fight diseases such as cancer, and to develop tissues repair as well. Its bizarre how close the two species genetic structures are.

However if a genetic modified pig were to make it into other populations, such as agriculture, and their were no way to identify it - it could cause some serious problems.

Thanks to the rise of "animal liberation groups" that release lab animals with no regard to consequences - this is a legitimate concern in science, thus leading to valuable time wasted on these kinds of safeguards.

There could also be a commercial by-product of this as well. Just imagine going to the pet store and purchasing a glow in the dark Vietmanese Pot Belly Pig

[Aero737]

I think you people fail to understand the point of this experiment. It's not just to make the pigs glow, it's to study genetic engineering and the body's acceptance of foreign substences as an embryo. Once scientists discover how inject pigments into body's, whats to say they won't learn to inject certain medication?

And Mschults, I know cancer is a pearsonal topic with you, but you can't just expect every scientist to drop what they are doing and discover a cure. That is not a fesable option. Science requires funding, and funding is tough to come by, without a valid mission statement you're not going to get much money. The article itself even says

The pigs will reportedly be used in stem cell research and in the study of several human diseases.