Nobel Prize Awarded For making Glow In The Dark Animals!
Ok so maybe it wasn’t awarded for making animals glow in the dark but it was awarded to 1 US and 1 Japanese researches that discovered the green protein in jellyfish (GFP) and transformng it into a powerful research tool.
Green fluorescent protein (GFP) is one of the most important tools that biologists use for investigating how the molecular machinery in cells operates. Attaching it to other proteins or structures allows scientists to watch a cell’s molecular cogs at work.
This has given important insights into what goes wrong during disease. For example, the protein - which was first observed in the jellyfish Aequorea victoria in 1962 - has been used to probe nerve cell damage in Alzheimer’s disease, follow the development of cancer cells and investigate what happens during HIV infection.
BUT, it can also be used to make animals glow in the dark! So once they start making those cute little glow in the dark kittens I will get my hands on one!!! Its already on my birthday/Christmas list Hit the jump for more glowing animal pics!
[via io9 via UK Guardian and New Scientist]
glow in the dark pig
glowing monkeys
glowing mice
