All Hail The Green Piggies!!

By now many of you have seen these pictures on line. For some, it must have seemed a hoax and it may still turn out to be too good to be true. The simple fact, though, is that we should praise these green pigs. Not just because they're cute in their new shade, but because they are the next step in stem cell research.

First off, these are transgenic pigs. That in and of itself is a triumph of science. According to BBC News, "to create them, DNA from jellyfish was added to about 265 pig embryos which were implanted in eight different sows. Four of the female pigs became pregnant and three male piglets were born three months ago."


These pigs are green inside and out which makes them perfect for stem cell study. How you may ask? I refer to BBC News again... "The scientists will use the transgenic pigs to study human disease. Because the pig's genetic material is green, it is easy to spot. So if, for instance, some of its stem cells are injected into another animal, scientists can track how they develop without the need for a biopsy or invasive test."

Stem cell research is a touchy subject these days. In America, we're barely even allowed to delve into the subject. The truth is that the use of stem cells may hold the key to curing diseases like MS and Alzheimers. They may hold the key to helping people. Some of the religious folk out there object to stem cell research because the oligarchy has tied it to abortion issues. Stem cell advancement is not against any god I can think of. If God truly objects to this line of knowledge, he would not have given us the capacity to come this far.

Others object to science veering too far astray into Mary Shelley territory. While Frankenstein's monster was a tad green himself, these transgenic pigs should not be seen as monsters. They are the doorway to a new possible future. ALL HAIL THE GREEN PIGGIES!!

For the full text of the BBC article click HERE