Some guys in San Francisco are trying to produce glow-in-the-dark plants by inserting genes from bioluminescent bacteria into Aradopsis plants. They are using money raised on Kickstarter for the project.
Some people, like the donors who gave these guys $500,000 over Kickstarter, like the idea of glow-in-the-dark plants. Other see this as dangerous unregulated genetic manipulation that could have unforeseen dangerous effects on the ecosystem.
It seems likely that this debate will only get more intense as the century rolls on and genetic technology becomes more widely accessible. What would happen if people decide that they want glow-in-the-dark tigers?
Glowing plant project on Kickstarter sparks debate about regulation of DNA modification - The Washington Post
Some people, like the donors who gave these guys $500,000 over Kickstarter, like the idea of glow-in-the-dark plants. Other see this as dangerous unregulated genetic manipulation that could have unforeseen dangerous effects on the ecosystem.
It seems likely that this debate will only get more intense as the century rolls on and genetic technology becomes more widely accessible. What would happen if people decide that they want glow-in-the-dark tigers?
Glowing plant project on Kickstarter sparks debate about regulation of DNA modification - The Washington Post
