Discovery channel chicken DNA

[stilwellchick]

Did anyone see the show last night about dinosaur DNA and chickens? They were manupulating chick DNA while still an embryo to grow teeth and have feathers instead of scales and scales instead of feathers! They were able to increase their tail vertebrae to 10 discs instead of 3 or 4. They showed that at some point in the life cycle of the chick embryo they had 16 vertebrae but had the DNA to "turn off" that trait. They also discussed Silkies (take note Purplechicken!) Silkies with teeth could become a real threat to the planet! The idea was that since birds are the living ancestors of dinosaurs, they could manipulate the DNA to become dinosaurs again. Weird science.

 

[MissPrissy]

We watched it. My husband has a degree in genetic engineering so he was glued to the program.

 

[Buster]

Jurassic Park all over again.

 

[Scrambled Egg]

Jurassic Park all over again.

Really!!! Why can't the scientists just work on growing more food and curing more diseases....just what we need, dinosaur crossing signs on the highways.....​

 

[Yonaton]

Quote:
We don't need more food. We need to quit proliferating so wildly, as if the planet has a never ending supply of *room* for the masses.

It'd be a Good Thing

IMHO if the dinosaurs came back and started to keep *our* numbers down.

 

[FutureChickenMan]

Quote:
"Yeah, but your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should." - Dr. Ian Malcolm; Jurassic Park

EXACTLY!

 

[flyingmonkeypoop]

I watched it last night and when it was done, I told mom 'Where would all those scientists be without the best critters in the world, chickens. They would only be thinking about it, chickens are so great." She laughed. Did anyone else catch the part about the eggs from 'mutant chickens'? I wonder what kind of mutant chickens they were, how deformed they were, and if they were previous experiments. The birds in their flocks were of good quality, I was expecting nasty, dirty production type birds, but the silkies were all nice and clean, the white rocks next to them looked pretty too.

 

[d.k]

*I'm with Darlene-- instead of glow-in-the-dark mice, cats & rabbits and turning birds into dinos (which I don't believe they ever were) can't they 'just' do stuff like implant a few dozen carpenter's genes into a DH??? NOW THAT WOULD BE REALLY USEFUL-- AT LEAST FOR US!!

 

[silkiechicken]

Quote:
I would have to say that animals kept in research, at least from what I have seen personally in research, are some of the most well cared for and health documented things in the world. In speaking with some of the head vet's, they say the worst things they have seen in animals are those of owners who bring them without health records and just didn't know any better to bring them in.

I bet someone in the world is trying to figure out how to implant skills into people, and then along side them a dozen others debating the ethics of it all.

 

[1dude]

In the US they try to curb tampering of DNA. I don't mind the research because something "good" may come of it. However places like China and Russia are the ones to worry about. Someone will come up with a way to create mini dinosaurs and they will sell millions! Or release a new version of bird flu!!! Yikes!