Glowing dogs
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The photo at left shows one of the cloned transgenic dogs named Ruppy, as seen under normal lighting conditions. The photo at right shows the dog under ultraviolet light, glowing red due to the influence of fluorescent genes. Both photos were released by Seoul National University.
South Korean scientists say they have engineered four beagles that glow red using cloning techniques that could help develop cures for human diseases. The four dogs, all named “Ruppy” — a combination of the words “ruby” and “puppy” — look like typical beagles by daylight. But they glow red under ultraviolet light, and the dogs’ nails and abdomens, which have thin skins, look red even to the naked eye.
The glowing dogs show that it is possible to successfully insert genes with a specific trait, which could lead to implanting other, non-fluorescent genes that could help treat specific diseases.
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