It may have human payoff down the road, but in the process of doing this work, you’re making an animal better. Who are we to be … playing God? That’s a phrase you see all the time in the animal world.Īnthes: The dolphin is a great example because that involves treating an animal that’s already been injured on its own. But at what point does it become a little hairier, and morally ambiguous, when you’re talking about using different experiments to help human problems? I got interested in putting all the pieces together and trying to figure out what this all meant.ĬNN: When you look at something like the bottlenose dolphin and how it carries over to the way we treat our own amputees, it seems to be a win-win all around. Over time, I noticed that it seemed like every week there was some new story about genetically modified this, or cloned that, or cyborg bugs, or beetle drones. Some answers were edited for brevity.ĬNN: What was the impetus behind “Frankenstein’s Cat”?Īnthes: I’m a science geek and an animal lover, so I gravitate toward stories about animals. Green Genes, who glows when placed under ultraviolet light, although Anthes doesn’t foresee there being much of a market for more like him.)ĬNN explored these examples and some of the stickier ethical questions posed by engineering animals in an interview this week with Anthes.

(There’s also a domestic cat in the U.S., Mr. GloFish, which are zebrafish that have been genetically engineered to contain a fluorescent protein gene, are sold as pets in 49 states. A dog owner who frets about losing a beloved companion might be intrigued by the possibilities cloning offers, while cat lovers with allergies would probably be interested to hear that genetic engineering could offer a solution.

Anthes highlights the example of Atlantic bottlenose dolphin Winter, whose story – she lost her tail after being caught in a crab-trap line and was fitted with a prosthetic one – inspired the 2011 movie “ Dolphin Tale.” In the process of developing Winter’s tail, scientists came up with a prosthetic gel liner that some human amputees now use on their artificial limbs because of its impressive grip.īiotech’s capabilities extend to pet owners.

Frankenstein's Cat by Emily Anthes