Scientists Clone Glow-in-the-Dark Cat

We all know that cats' eyes glow in the dark, but what about their skin? Haven't you always wanted a cat that glowed softly so that you could always find it at night?

No, nor have I - but it seems genetic engineers like the idea. MSNBC reports that US scientists have created a cat that glows in the dark. The Frankenfeline, Mr. Green Genes, was cloned at the Audubon Nature Institute, New Orleans, and was displayed last week on the Today programme. A modified gene inserted during his creation means that his skin is phosphorescent and glows under ultraviolet (UV) light. So strictly speaking he doesn't glow in the dark, you'd need a "black light" torch to find him at night.

My first reaction to the idea of a phosphorescent cat was "Why?", however there is a serious point to this. The phosphorescence wasn't the objective of the experiment, simply an easy way to check that it had worked. Betsy Dresser, senior vice president for the Audobon Institute, said:

"We wanted to know for sure that we could insert this gene into a cell and have it multiply. If nothing glows, we wouldn’t know if the gene was really inserted. So, because it glows, we know we inserted the gene and were successful with that technique."

The idea is that the genetic engineering techniques being explored at the Institute might one day be used to help save endangered species or even help cure disease in humans.

One worrying thing is that Mr Green Genes isn't sterile. Dresser commented "We’ll breed him and we’ll see if his kids glow, too!" Given that the cat's being trotted round TV studios I worry about the risk of him running off and spreading his modified genes in the wild. I've nothing against genetic experimentation in the lab but it really mustn't be allowed to escape into the wild in the way that GM food has done; it's a genie that can never be put back in the bottle.