Headlines recently have been reporting as news on genetically modifying lab animals in the name of science. The consequences to these experiments is unknown at this point. But one could easily imagine some of the destructive outcomes that modifying could bring.

The Amazing Mouse - Recently, American scientists have modified the genetics of mice. They now have a colony of 500 such mice. And the results in enhancing a metabolism gene has made the mice have more endurance. They live longer, have more sex, and eat twice as much as regular mice without gaining weight.

While this sounds great, especially for the mice with these new mousey super powers, these practices of enhancement are questionable. Is it really humane to alter these creatures from their original state to make them, as humans consider, better? What are the consequences for such actions? One puzzling consequence admitted was that the mice, despite the fact that they eat more than twice the amount of food as normal mice, only weigh half as much. Also disturbing is the fact that these mice are very aggressive. And scientists do not understand why.

What is the Purpose? - What is the purpose, some may ask, of these experiments? Some wonder if these tests will someday apply to humans. Some would say it sounds perfect for humans to be able to eat all they want and never gain, be able to run long distances, live longer, and have sex all the time.

But the consequences of something like this would be as unnatural as the gene alterations themselves. A race of humans that eat twice as much, live longer, and procreate at a higher level because of all the sex would definitely outnumber the world’s food sources at a much faster rate. Plus the aggressive side effect, along with the endurance enhancement, could possibly lead to animal-like behaviors. Combinations like this in human form, or any form for that matter, could lead to serious problems.

Luckily, the scientists on this project claim that the experiments are not going to be used for such things. Even though the gene that has been modified in these mice is the same gene that humans possess, the most that this would branch into would be in the medicine field. These findings could help in different diseases. But it was admitted also that athletes could misuse the findings in the drugs to enhance their own performance.

Other Modifications - A few weeks ago, I wrote an article on a new transparent frog that was developed by Japanese scientists. They were looking for a way to study a frog without having to dissect the creature. These good intentions have led to a clear frog that accomplishes the job, for a couple of generations. But past this the frogs do not survive, due to the large amount of recessive genes the latter generations contain. Nature simply will not allow these mutants to live.

There are other animals, such as a “green pig” that has been modified to produce less toxic waste and save the environment. And other pigs have had spinach genes inserted to make the pigs less fatty. And other pigs have had human genes inserted to make them grow faster. As a result, the pigs were in pain whenever they walked because of bone problems that were produced from the experiment.

New Problems - Animals like cows and goats have been used also. There seems to be few lines drawn when it comes to experiments on animals for science. And many of the reasons for these modifications have been honorable, like looking to heal cancer or stop pollution. But changing animals in the process seems like we are exchanging one problem for another. Besides the cruel side effects, a genetic experiment gone wrong could create all new problems for humans, possibly worse than the ones we face now.