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Genetically modified squirrels? What's the worst that could happen?

https://www.scotsman.com/news/environment/dolly-the-sheep-scientists-hope-dna-editing-can-wipe-out-grey-squirrels-1-5070500

Quote:

Researchers at the University of Edinburgh’s world-renowned Roslin Institute say it is possible to cull numbers of the mammals by editing their DNA to ensure that all future females are born infertile.

The institute, famous for creating Dolly the Sheep, the world’s first mammal cloned from an adult cell, hoped to create gene-edited male squirrels that can be released into the wild.

The mammals would be altered to contain a so-called ‘gene drive’ designed to spread throughout the population, and render all females to inherit it sterile.

Males, however, would be unaffected, so as to allow them to keep spreading the new genetic code, and ultimately hastening the grey’s demise.

The initiative is supported by some as a humane means of stopping the spread of the invasive species and protected the red squirrel, which is native to the UK, but survives only in isolated strongholds, with the vast majority found in parts of Scotland.

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4 comments

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ktache | 4 years ago
2 likes

I like the avatar change form squirrel pool to lego squirrel.

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hawkinspeter replied to ktache | 4 years ago
1 like

ktache wrote:

I like the avatar change form squirrel pool to lego squirrel.

Thanks. It might not last too long as it's a bit small and I didn't want to crop the owner from it.

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hawkinspeter | 4 years ago
1 like

Looks like the picture isn't showing correctly.

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brooksby | 4 years ago
3 likes

I, for one, welcome our new squirrel overlords 

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