Gene-editing experiment turns fluffy hamsters into 'aggressive' rage monsters

[Nevilledog]

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Metro
@MetroUK
A team of scientists at Northwestern University in the US have accidentally created overly-aggressive mutant hamsters following a gene-editing experiment. 🐹

They were trying to increase bonding between the lovable animals but failed.

Let's Discuss 👇

metro.co.uk
Gene-editing experiment turns fluffy hamsters into 'aggressive' rage monsters
The results of the experiment were a 'startling conclusion'.
8:36 AM · May 27, 2022

https://metro.co.uk/2022/05/27/gene-editing-turns-fluffy-hamsters-into-aggressive-rage-monsters-16721041/

Using the controversial CRISPR technology, researchers at Northwestern University were examining a hormone called vasopressin and its receptor, Avpr1a.

They opted to try and remove the latter from a group of Syrian hamsters, with the expectation it would increase bonding and co-operation between the lovable little critters.

That’s because Avpr1a is understood to regulate things like teamwork and friendship as well as dominance and bonding.

Their expectation proved to be wrong. Very wrong.

‘We were really surprised at the results,’ said Professor H Elliot Albers, the lead researcher on the study.

‘We anticipated that if we eliminated vasopressin activity, we would reduce both aggression and social communication.

‘But the opposite happened.’

*snip*

[keithbvadu2]

1. Never feed them after midnight.

[MagickMuffin]

2. Perhaps Ecstasy would have been a better choice, from what I've heard about it

Science can be a pesky thing.

[LonePirate]

3. While this experiment yielded very important results, it's also very, very scary.

It shows us that gene editing can have some very unpredictable and potentially frightening results. If the wrong people were to perform an experiment like this, who knows what might result. If a test subject somehow escapes the lab, its introduction into the wild could produce some very bad results.

[harumph]

9. yep - that's about it.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

4. This is what happened to me and my avatar.

[ornotna]

5. Strange things

happen in the laboratory of the utility muffin research kitchen.

[electric_blue68]

15. Mutant muffins?

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[milestogo]

6. So is somebody going to sell them online?

[Nevilledog]

22. They've been used in video games

Loved Baldur's Gate

[Jerry2144]

7. Bring me the

Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch

[Ziggysmom]

8. Confusing study? In the wild, most hamsters live alone and only approach other hamsters for

breeding. As pets you cannot keep same sex Syrian hamsters together because they will fight and injure each other.
Dwarf hamsters like Roborovski and Chinese Hamsters can SOMETIMES live with a roomie in the same cage. The pics in the article appear to show Syrian hamsters, not dwarfs.

Regardless, I love cute little hamsters!

[electric_blue68]

17. Wow, had no idea!

[tblue37]

10. 28 days.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

19. Yep.

[slightlv]

11. Sounds more like the "Miranda" experiment

from Firefly, if you ask me! What were they called .... Reivers?

[Nevilledog]

12. Reavers (when the PAX vaccine went wrong)

First thing that came to mind for me, also.

[area51]

21. gmta

[SWBTATTReg]

13. They should have released a bunch of these treated Hamsters around the NRA convention

going on...maybe that'll help in a small bit stop the proliferation of guns.

[Tom Kitten]

14. Oy

[electric_blue68]

18. Baaahahahahaaaaaa....

[MissB]

16. Reboot of the planet of the apes?

The reboot, or one of the reboots.

[electric_blue68]

20. " 'aggressive" rage machines" 🤔....a perfect Finnish Heavy Metal Band name!

[Reader Rabbit]

23. Too bad they didn't watch Serenity (the Firefly movie) first.

Coulda saved them time and hamsters. Instead, they had to go and create their own little rodent Reavers.