Rest assured that 10 Fascinating Examples of Genetically Modified Animals is one jaw-dropping list!
Let’s start by shocking you right away! Did you know that Dolly is not a genetically modified animal? True story. Dolly, the world-famous cloned sheep, does not classify as a genetically modified organism. Cloning is a process in which you try to duplicate a grown organism. By the way, it’s been a long time since Dolly was introduced. From then on, others animals have been cloned, too. Dogs for detecting drugs, mice, even camels. But let’s not stray away from our topic. Clones possess the same genetic material as the original organism.
Genetically modified animals definition would state that in genetic engineering scientists manipulate genes to create improved or completely different organisms. Why are people doing that in the first place? There are several reasons which are every now and then being debated. Proponents of genetic modifications argue that by creating genetically modified animals, they are helping the humanity. Altering animals’ DNA brings results needed for development of medicines and even organs for transplantation. With the human population growing rapidly, scientists are growing genetically modified animals for food, i.e., they are trying to produce species with more muscle or meat. We shall see that with some species scientists had environment protection in mind. However, others see it as nothing else but animal cruelty, especially since there are plenty of examples of genetically modified animals gone wrong. You don’t always get the result you wanted, from the first try, do you?
Should you wish to know more about genetically modified animals pros and cons, check our article on 15 Advantages and Disadvantages of Genetically Modified Organisms. Also, you can take a look at which countries have taken genetic modification to the top in 11 Countries That Produce the Most Genetically Modified Crops.
In order to see which are the most interesting examples of genetically modified animals, we searched PopSci, Reuters, EnkiVillage, etc. The examples were numerous. However, there had to be some serious downsizing. First of all, we have already defined the difference between genetic modification and cloning. Secondly, we dealt with the following question: are featherless chickens genetically modified? Even though some of the sources recommended as stunning examples of genetically modified animals, both BBC and CrownHeights in their genetically modified animals articles quote the creator, Professor Avigdor Cahaner, who claims they are simply a result of mixing two different breeds and strictly insists there was no genetic engineering involved. To summarize, our list consists of only genetically modified animals. As for what qualifies as “fascinating,” we opted for curious species created for various purposes. They are listed in random order.
So, are you ready to raise your eyebrows? Prepare to be wowed with our list of fascinating examples of genetically modified animals!
