On To Happy News – Transgenic SuperTrout May Feed Millions
Sometimes there’s a thin line between your average scientist and your mad scientist, and this one is certainly walking a thin line, but it may just benefit the human race. Professor Terry Bradley, an expert on trout, salmon, flounder, and tuna, has been playing in his laboratory with his students, working on something a bit fishy. They’ve been pondering a genetic anomaly in cattle, specifically the Belgian Blue Cattle. These bovines are basically your normal cow, with one very distinct difference: They have about twice the usual muscle growth. It’s called “double muscling” and is due to a variation in the gene responsible for production of myostatin, which counteracts muscle growth. And now they’ve finally hit on how to introduce this gene into fish.
Enter SuperTrout. This transgenic fish contains the same “double muscling” gene. And it’s a monster! …At least in muscle mass. These heavily muscled genetically altered fish themselves seem to generally behave like their natural counterparts. They just have more lovely flesh for us to eat. Which is what Professor Bradley wants. Imagine the amount of people that could be fed by farming these fish!
Only, there’s that little government regulation thing to worry about. Not to mention, are they actually safe to eat? And what could happen if they were accidentally introduced into the wild? It’s food for thought.
