Glow-In-The-Dark Deer

Ronald Bailey | November 12, 2004

As I pointed out a while back, deer are the most dangerous mammals in North America. GENETIATE, a division of Geneticas Life Sciences, is offering a solution to the highway carnage these Bambi menaces cause--transgenic deer that glow in the dark. It should help night hunters too. Surely, the US Department of Transportation will want to fund this project.

Comments

|11.12.04 @ 4:54PM|#

I'm not sure on this. How many people are killed by dogs and cattle each year?

|11.12.04 @ 4:58PM|#

I like my deer how natural selection created them, thank you very much.

|11.12.04 @ 5:05PM|#

I like my deer how natural selection created them

Big, bloody and imbedded into your windshield?

|11.12.04 @ 5:07PM|#

Also, I'm not entirely convinced that this isn't a joke.

How are these people supposed to splice genes if they can't even make a website that works?

|11.12.04 @ 5:08PM|#

This has got to be a hoax! How are you going to genetically engineer a wild species?
I'd check the company, it's probably that guy that did the "korean dog" hoax.

Sourav|11.12.04 @ 5:25PM|#

As an avid motorcyclist who rides in wooded areas, this would be very useful in curbing serious accidents and deaths.

That being said, the website is kind of fishy, and I question the efficacy of current gene-transplantation techniques in the wild.

|11.12.04 @ 5:40PM|#

Most certainly a hoax. Nice try though.

|11.12.04 @ 5:50PM|#

for some reason i read that headline as "glow in the dark beer"

CodeMonkeySteve|11.12.04 @ 5:51PM|#

How are you going to genetically engineer a wild species?

Easy: the modifications (presumably) result in fewer collisons, which results in fewer deer deaths. Evolution takes care of the rest.

|11.12.04 @ 6:05PM|#

I saw an article a while back about rabbits genetically engineered to glow in the dark. Anyone know if that was legit? I've always wondered.

|11.12.04 @ 6:06PM|#

this is great and all...as long as it doesn't change the flavor!

|11.12.04 @ 6:48PM|#

Rich, I was disappointed too! (you can tell its friday)

|11.12.04 @ 7:14PM|#

Why not make the deer smarter? Let's genetically splice in a chimp brain; thus, Uberdeer.

If they get too smart, well, at least they'll be easy to fight, because of that glow-in-the-dark thing.

|11.12.04 @ 8:32PM|#

But that would only protect us from hitting deer.

Why not think bigger?

Gene-manipulated trees, grass, shrubs, and weeds that glow in the dark would illuminate any critter strolling around the road.

Might even make headlights unnecessary.

And think of the government-funded research and mass-production! Think of the pork!

Texas A&M would be rolling in taxpayer money, working on this.

|11.12.04 @ 8:34PM|#

Dan, I believe the rabbit was legit.

It was done by an artist who's associated with the Art Institute of Chicago. I think his last name is Kac.

The actual bio work was done by some French scientists.

|11.12.04 @ 8:50PM|#

Thanks for the set up here.
Down with traffic signals!
Down with stop signs!
Down with taxpayer-supported highways!

Railways were the way to go. What happened to railways anyhow?
How many deer did/do trains kill versus cars?

If Martha Stewart weren't being held out to dry in WV, excess deer and geese might have already been brought into balance.
As a shortcut to eliminating highways in favor of RR, we need some good, easy-to-prepare recipes for goose and venison. mmmmm!
(And I don't want no glow on my dinner plate, thanks.)

|11.12.04 @ 9:16PM|#

Won't they have to make glow-in-the-dark coyotes to keep it fair?

|11.12.04 @ 10:06PM|#

Dan, I believe the rabbit was legit

Kick ass: bunnies that glow in the dark.

Without chewing on the power cord for the lamp first, I mean.

|11.12.04 @ 10:39PM|#

"How are you going to genetically engineer a wild species?"

"Easy: the modifications (presumably) result in fewer collisons, which results in fewer deer deaths. Evolution takes care of the rest."

I think he meant that deer wouldn't really be 'wild' were they genenetically altered by humans.

|11.12.04 @ 11:00PM|#

Hey, why are we wasting all of that cool glow-in-the-dark biotechnology on deer (which are really just giant rats, anyway)? I'm thinking homo sapiens would be an excellent candidate for englowifying. If we did it right, the energy requirements needed to generate a good shiny exterior would force us to consume more calories. Ergo, no more obesity! I love science.

|11.13.04 @ 11:13AM|#

Go to the Slashdot stories for more links to the original sources:

http://science.slashdot.org/science/03/11/22/175233.shtml

Glowing Fish are First Genetically Engineered Pets

Posted by CowboyNeal on Sat Nov 22, '03 02:07 PM

securitas writes "It was bound to happen. Texas-based biotechnology company Yorktown Technologies will start selling a 'genetically engineered aquarium fish that glows in the dark.' The trademarked GloFish -- 'a tropical zebra fish infused with the gene of a sea anemone that makes it glow fluorescent red' -- is first genetically engineered pet. The possible consequences of introducing a new trangenic species into the environment has touched off a debate that has critics such as the National Academies of Science and the Center for Food Safety calling for a ban on the sale of the fish unless the FDA regulates and approves it. The fish go on sale in January 2004. You can see photos of the GloFish here. Cool, but it's no Blinky." M: I think these guys are marketing the fish for a Taiwanese company.





http://slashdot.org/articles/03/12/04/1558253.shtml

California Bans Genegineered Fish

Posted by michael on Thu Dec 04, '03 05:53 PM

Cheeko writes "California regulators have announced that they are blocking the sale of genetically engineered fish. The arguments of the regulators seem to echo some of those discussed earlier here."

|11.13.04 @ 7:11PM|#

Me too Rich, and it struck me that there might be a market for glow in the dark beer, especially in those dark clubs. I'd market it to Generation Y as "extreme beer".

Hey, if there's a market for nipple rings,...

|11.14.04 @ 7:21AM|#

There's a big difference between venison on the grille and on the grill.

This technology only reduces the car-hits-deer collision. I've also had two deer-hits-car encounters. Maybe my car needs to glow, too?

|11.14.04 @ 1:02PM|#

Your car's headlights glow.

|11.15.04 @ 2:55PM|#

I think it would be cool if they took the fluorescent red glowing sea anemone gene and just made the deer's nose glow...