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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsGene-editing experiment turns fluffy hamsters into 'aggressive' rage monsters
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Metro
@MetroUK
A team of scientists at Northwestern University in the US have accidentally created overly-aggressive mutant hamsters following a gene-editing experiment. 🐹
They were trying to increase bonding between the lovable animals but failed.
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metro.co.uk
Gene-editing experiment turns fluffy hamsters into 'aggressive' rage monsters
The results of the experiment were a 'startling conclusion'.
8:36 AM · May 27, 2022
https://metro.co.uk/2022/05/27/gene-editing-turns-fluffy-hamsters-into-aggressive-rage-monsters-16721041/
Using the controversial CRISPR technology, researchers at Northwestern University were examining a hormone called vasopressin and its receptor, Avpr1a.
They opted to try and remove the latter from a group of Syrian hamsters, with the expectation it would increase bonding and co-operation between the lovable little critters.
Thats because Avpr1a is understood to regulate things like teamwork and friendship as well as dominance and bonding.
Their expectation proved to be wrong. Very wrong.
We were really surprised at the results, said Professor H Elliot Albers, the lead researcher on the study.
We anticipated that if we eliminated vasopressin activity, we would reduce both aggression and social communication.
But the opposite happened.
*snip*
keithbvadu2
(36,775 posts)MagickMuffin
(15,936 posts)Science can be a pesky thing.
LonePirate
(13,417 posts)It shows us that gene editing can have some very unpredictable and potentially frightening results. If the wrong people were to perform an experiment like this, who knows what might result. If a test subject somehow escapes the lab, its introduction into the wild could produce some very bad results.
harumph
(1,898 posts)Hassin Bin Sober
(26,325 posts)ornotna
(10,799 posts)happen in the laboratory of the utility muffin research kitchen.
electric_blue68
(14,886 posts).
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milestogo
(16,829 posts)Nevilledog
(51,080 posts)Loved Baldur's Gate
Jerry2144
(2,099 posts)Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch
Ziggysmom
(3,406 posts)breeding. As pets you cannot keep same sex Syrian hamsters together because they will fight and injure each other.
Dwarf hamsters like Roborovski and Chinese Hamsters can SOMETIMES live with a roomie in the same cage. The pics in the article appear to show Syrian hamsters, not dwarfs.
Regardless, I love cute little hamsters!
electric_blue68
(14,886 posts)tblue37
(65,328 posts)Hassin Bin Sober
(26,325 posts)slightlv
(2,787 posts)from Firefly, if you ask me! What were they called .... Reivers?
Nevilledog
(51,080 posts)First thing that came to mind for me, also.
SWBTATTReg
(22,112 posts)going on...maybe that'll help in a small bit stop the proliferation of guns.
Tom Kitten
(7,346 posts)electric_blue68
(14,886 posts)MissB
(15,805 posts)The reboot, or one of the reboots.
electric_blue68
(14,886 posts)Reader Rabbit
(2,624 posts)Coulda saved them time and hamsters. Instead, they had to go and create their own little rodent Reavers.