Posted on 12/05/2017 1:12:54 PM PST by BenLurkin
British scientists have proposed introducing mutant lab rats into the wild rodent populations tormenting Londoners as a means of pest control, The Telegraph reports. Despite similar schemes leading to Attack of the Giant, Mutant Rats in 99 percent of fictional cases, the real world science involves genetically "editing" rodents so that they simply cannot have female offspring:
The technique suggested for rodents is known as "x-shredding." Male mammals have both an "x" and "y" sex chromosome, while females need two "x" chromosomes.
The scientists want to insert "x shredder" code into the DNA of male rats which would destroy the "x" chromosomes in their sperm, meaning they could only pass on a "y" chromosome, so their offspring would never be female.
With fewer and fewer females over time, the population would have to decline.
The genetically modified lab rats could then be released into the wild, where they would pass their edited genes on to future generations. The so-called "Crispr" technology, which is also being tested with mosquito populations, works even better than toxins, since some rats are already becoming poison-resistant.
(Excerpt) Read more at theweek.com ...
I thought this was about the terrorists.
“Britain might willingly surrender itself to domination by mutant rats”
I suppose this is better than submitting to domination by Islam.
Me, too. I thought they had already imported millions of mutant rats, who have taken over the country.
Why not? What could possibly go wrong?
Genetically editing Moslems so that they can't have male offspring would be a much more productive endeavor.
Can you imagine if this genetic material was inserted into a virus? Or, is it only active during reproduction?
Is that the new name for Islamofascists?
+100!
It worked so well in Jurassic Park.
Too easy.
L
The rat population might decrease at first, but adaption will see to it that those with the modified genes, therefore less able to survive, die out first. Then they’ll be back to square one.
muslims
I think that I've seen that episode of Dr. Who, but then again maybe it was 'lizard people' instead.
“Britain might willingly surrender itself to domination by mutant rats”
Of course, you’d have to introduce these mutants all over the country in fairly decent numbers, otherwise the local and normal rat population will take over and reproduce back up to present population levels when the mutants and their male offspring die.
Here’s a question: Is this crap subject to being transferred to a different species by the rats (say, from a bite, or from mosquitoes)? If so, then that is a BIG problem.
I wonder what are the unintended consequences of eliminating the rat population? lots of animals eat rats, so they would die off in large numbers.
Ben, you’re always running here and there.
You feel you’re not wanted anywhere.
Except in England.
Just not the same.
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