Brave new world of genetic editing for reptiles-

[Bogertophis]

How do we feel about GMO versus non-GMO reptiles??? See link below...

https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2019...-lizard-albino

[Bodie]

IMO it's crossing the line. I don't like it

[gunkle]

As long as the animals are cared for I don't see any fundamental difference from this and selective breeding.

[Bogertophis]

IMO it's crossing the line. I don't like it

I posted it as it's newsworthy, but I'm with you, honestly. Getting further & further from natural selection makes me uncomfortable.

There's so many GMO foods now, more than most of us realize...but the issues have been swept under the rug rather than openly addressed, & where profits are
involved, we know who's interest "matters" don't we?

[Stewart_Reptiles]

Where is the fun in that, and what's next injecting reptile embryos to make them glow in the dark

[distaff]

Where is the fun in that, and what's next injecting reptile embryos to make them glow in the dark

We already have GloFish for that.
Not sure how they are made, but NOT natural.
Marketed to kids....meaning, the unfortunate fish are doomed.

[Ax01]

is this thing for producing morphs? b/c 4 Albino's outta 146 eggs is not very good odds. the non-GMO method is way better for breeders and less costly.

or can this bring back a species from extinction or the brink of extinction? b/c that might be kool.

[Bogertophis]

...or can this bring back a species from extinction or the brink of extinction? b/c that might be kool.

This would be cool & something I was wondering too...it's just a real "double-edged sword" though.

[bcr229]

I'm not familiar with the techniques they are using, or the why/how. I do think that if the technique could be used to stop species from going extinct, or to make chemical changes to snake venom so that different compounds to fight diseases could be made from it, that would be cool also.

[Timelugia]

It can totally be used to bring species back, and there's a lot of discussion concerning that. Ethics and such. Personally I'm for genetic engineering simply because it has so much potential to do good.
I mean, making albino lizards to sell isn't maybe the best use. But I get the sense the researchers who did this were more going for a "will this work" and testing the method itself rather than trying to make something to sell.