12/9/2003: GloFish, first genetically engineered pet

IotD is a little late to this as news, but I hadn't seen a photo of them until now... this is the GloFish, which was announced to be the world's first genetically engineered pet. Its color is the engineered part; it's fluorescent in day and glows at night.

The company says it's safe if eaten, won't live to procreate in the wild if it ever escaped. It was made by taking an "ordinary" zebra fish and inserting genes from jellyfish or sea anemone.

I thought Sea Monkeys were the first genetically engineered pets.

If only I could get them in blue...

I have a "blue" theme around my house. My PC light is blue, my carpets are blue my walls are blue and I'd say that at least 70% of the things my gf wears are some shade of blue.

Blue glowing fish would be cool...

Energy Star Compliant

If I get enough of these I can get rid of all my lamps.<br><br>

Re: 12/9/2003: GloFish, first genetically engineered pet

Nature has a very informative article on this. Check it out here.

Many scientists don't seem happy about the fact that there's little to no regulatory process involved in selling genetically altered pets. Some nonsense about "unpredictable effects on the environment".

Re: Re: 12/9/2003: GloFish, first genetically engineered pet

juju wrote:

Re: Re: 12/9/2003: GloFish, first genetically engineered pet

Do you have to hold them up to the lamp for 20 seconds to make them glow?

(these might be perfect pets for slang.)

Boo. The fish does not actually glow

From glofish.com

Those (IIRC) are stained glass fish. The color is not naturally occurring, but results from the fish being injected with a flourescent (and toxic) dye.

Dagney

Wow.. that's pretty immoral. I guess they are just fish, though. And it wouldn't be any more wrong than, say, locking them up inside a small glass cage.

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Re: Re: Re: Re: 12/9/2003: GloFish, first genetically engineered pet

I still think Alba the bunny is the first GM pet. Even if the relationship is forbidden. sniff.

I think the fish are the first genetically engineered pets that are being <i>sold</i>.

By the way, they're on sale January 5th!

Quote:

Originally posted by Ghost I thought Sea Monkeys were the first genetically engineered pets.

Quote:

Originally posted by Ghost I thought Sea Monkeys were the first genetically engineered pets.

One of my friends and I went through a "Sea Monkey™ Phase."

We each had a Sea Monkey™ MicroView Ocean Zoo™, purchased during a pilgrimage to Edmund Scientific.

We lovingly raised our sea monkeys, fed them, spoke to them, and were disappointed when they did not turn out to wear little crowns, or have furniture.

One Friday evening, Bob (yeah, Forks Bob) happily said goodbye to his Sea Monkeys™, knowing they would happily greet them in their happy undersea way the following Monday.

He spent a care-free weekend, awaiting his return to his special friends (to whom he was a kind of a god, dispenser of all that is good, particularly match-head's worth of Sea Monkey™ nutrient powder).

He entered his office that fateful morning to check on his pals before embarking on his day's toil as a programmer at a local university. He looked through the magnifying lens of the MicroView Ocean Zoo™ and beheld with amazement that a population explosion had occured over the two days and where about a half-dozen Sea Monkeys™ had reposed a mere three days before, there were HUNDREDS!!

In his amazement, he summoned his coworkers, and babbled his excitement at how well his care and tending of the tiny creatures had succeeded!!

He basked in the glow of his own awesomeness.

Until his boss confessed to knocking over the Sea Monkeys after he left on Friday.

She had gone to a specialty aquarium store in a panic, looking for Sea Monkeys™. Several clerks had denied the existence of such things as Sea Monkeys™ until she was rescued by the owner who was wise to the ways of comic book marketing, and sold her the brine shrimp, with great amusement.

(I had my own Sea Monkey™ near-tragedy, when the accountant from the company I was working for at the time was holding my MicroView Ocean Zoo™ (i had the blue one, Bob's was red) up to the light for a better view, when she was struck by vertigo, and fell on her ass. To her credit, although she fell, she kept a tight grip on the Sea Monkeys™, and they only got sloshed around a bit. Didn't lose a drop.)

I've been playing with genetically engineered pets for years. I've played Creatures, Creatures2, and Creatures3.

Re: Re: 12/9/2003: GloFish, first genetically engineered pet

They're worried about adverse affects upon the environment? From glow-in-the-dark fish? Are they kidding?

Those things would get gobbled up so fast in the wild...

No, no. They're not worried about these fish. Since there are no laws set up to regulate genetically engineered pets, they're worried about what could happen with future genetically engineered pets being released into the wild.

I could see them being sold as bait for night fishing. I've bought glow-in the-dark artificial lures.

Glowing fish

If they hurry we can have catdogs for christmas!

Re: Glowing fish