Scientists have created a real-life Speedy Gonzales by genetically engineering a mouse which can easily outrun its natural cousins.
When let loose on a treadmill in the laboratory, the mouse ran for up to six hours without stopping, covering as many kilometres before finally taking a rest. Normal mice gave up after covering just 200 metres at the same speed.
The souped-up rodent consumes 60% more food than other mice, but remains fitter and leaner. Surprisingly, the species also lives longer and is able to breed until a later age.
Richard Hanson and Parvin Hakimi at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, created the mouse by altering a gene that controls a key enzyme called PEPCK-C which is involved in energy metabolism.
The genetic tweak directs energy production overwhelmingly to the animal's skeletal muscles.
The researchers have now bred nearly 500 supermice which are instantly recognisable by the amount of time they spend running around their cages.
Wait until the squirrels get wind of this....
9 comments:
I got a weird mutation like that, I eat but don't gain weight. If I don't eat enough I can lose weight, so it's not all good.
Ooo! I'd pay to have some of that DNA!
Sure. You like pain?
Uh... Can I eat as much ice cream as I want?...
The lactose might cause some gas and digestive discomfort, if it's too much. I actually don't eat much dessert, empty calories tend to make me feel hungrier sooner. If I've had a lot of meat/protein then a sweet dessert is a good balance, though.
Didn't mean to make light of your difficulties, whig; clearly you have to watch what you eat and when.
But you are truly 1% of the population in your 'mutation'. I hope it has not been too hard to deal with.
I'm 1% of 1% of 1% of my mutation, I think. Never mind. :)
A friend of a friend of Stella's has a puppy named Mozart, and the name suits him, because he's the pianist. By analogy, I want one of those mice as a pet... I'll name it Dubya, because it's the fascist.
On a more serious note: you do realize, don't you, that if these mice get loose and if the new gene propagates well in the wild, this could spell the end of human agriculture?
Um... I missed your excellent puns the first time around, I was obsessing over rats.
I love the smell of puns in the morning!
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