Genetic Battles behind the scenes

[American Patriot]

Two countries, South Korea and Japan have been doing war against one another in recent years.

The war though is behind the scenes, and little known genetic warfare. In the last two days I have seen articles coming out of both countries that confuse and confound me.

I'll post them...

And laugh knowing that somewhere, there's something funny in these stories.

Rick

[American Patriot]

Glow-in-the-Dark Cats Could Make For a Unique Home Lighting Solution

Scientists at the Gyeongsang National University in South Korea have cloned cats that have the ability to glow-in-the dark when exposed to ultraviolet light. By inserting a virus into the skin cells of a mother cat and placing those contaminated cells into the womb, scientists were able to prove that it was possible to clone an animal with a manipulated gene. Apparently, this development could allow for a better understanding of human genetic diseases in the future. But what about the benefits of glowing cats?
If you ask me, cats that could truly glow-in-the-dark would make for an unique and styilsh night-light. And, much like the new Litrospheres, they last for about 12 years. The only downside is that the latter requires no power source while cats require a steady diet. Still, the crazy cat lady down the street could have the most power efficient house in town. [InventorSpot]


Cat left red-faced by boffins



By VINCE SOODIN
Published: Today



A MOGGY has been left red-faced by South Korean boffins.
The scientists cloned the cat but inserted a 'fluorescent protein gene' into its DNA.
The gene makes the cat change its skin colour under UV light.
Three years ago, researchers in America created a butterfly that glows in the dark, by genetically modifying it with jellyfish DNA.
Previously, rabbits and pigs have also been modified to glow when the lights are dimmed.

[American Patriot]

TOKYO — Cat and mouse may never be the same.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,316676,00.html

Japanese scientists say they've used genetic engineering to create mice that show no fear of felines, a development that may shed new light on mammal behavior and the nature of fear itself.


Scientists at Tokyo University say they were able to successfully switch off a mouse's instinct to cower at the smell or presence of cats — showing that fear is genetically hardwired and not learned through experience, as commonly believed.


"Mice are naturally terrified of cats, and usually panic or flee at the smell of one. But mice with certain nasal cells removed through genetic engineering didn't display any fear," said research team leader Ko Kobayakawa.

In his experiment, the genetically altered mice approached cats, even snuggled up to them and played with them. Kobayakawa said he chose domesticated cats that were docile and thus less likely to pounce.

Kobayakawa said his findings, published in the science magazine Nature last month, should help researchers shed further light on how the brain processes information about the outside world.

Kim Dae-soo, a neural genetics professor at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology in Seoul, who was not involved in the research, said Kobayakawa's research could explain further what fear is, and how to control it.

"People have thought mice are fearful of cats because cats prey on them, but that's not the case," Kim said.

"If we follow the pathway of related signals in the brain, I think we could discover what kind of networks in the brain are important for controlling fear."