DailyDirt: Genetically Modified To Fit Our Modern Lifestyles...

from the urls-we-dig-up dept

Biotech hasn't quite advanced as far as some science fiction stories might depict, but a few amazing genetically-modified organisms look like they're just around the corner, with scientists making biofuels or reviving dinosaurs in the near future. While we should be careful messing with Mother Nature, here are just a few developments to watch out for.

• A transgenic Christmas tree could be engineered to produce green fluorescent protein and glow in the dark (and during the day) without electricity. This idea is over a decade old, so these genetically engineered pine trees should be a reality any time now. [url]
• Some genetic researchers have grown a fish with legs, creating tetrapods that look like the precursors to amphibians. A fish drumstick sounds like it'd be part of a pretty tasty entree. [url]
• Stingray leather could be a fashionable way to make really expensive custom sneakers. Rayfish claims to be able to make stingray leather shoes with custom patterns, but this is probably all a hoax (for now). [url]

If you'd like to read more awesome and interesting stuff, check out this unrelated (but not entirely random!) Techdirt post.

Filed Under: biotech, christmas tree, custom sneakers, fish, genetically modified, gmo, stingray, tetrapods