Discover the Wonders of Science: Top 7 Fun and Fascinating Facts about Biotechnology!

1. Allergen-Free Cow

Holy cow, we're not milking it: Scientists in New Zealand have genetically engineered a transgenic cow that produces milk without the allergen β-lactoglobulin (BLG), which may lead to increased calcium levels, high cheese yields, and pave the way for better understanding the effects of BLG on milk composition.
Source => genengnews.com

2. Tomato Power

Tomatoes: too ugly to eat, but too powerful to waste! Turns out, these unsightly rejects from your salad have a hidden superpower: when transformed into microbial electrochemical cells, they can create clean, renewable energy - enough of this red gold from Florida alone could keep Disney World's rides running non-stop! Now that's a saucy solution to our electricity woes.
Source => science.howstuffworks.com

Did you know cloned cats can have completely different coat colors due to X chromosome inactivation? Discover the fascinating truth behind cloning and more!

=> Fun Facts about Genetic-Engineering

3. Opioid Yeast

Forget morphing sugar into spice, scientists have been whipping up something even more interesting – opioids! That's right; after countless scientific trials, researchers have successfully baked a rather unusual yeast cake: Fuelling yeast cells to morph sugar into potentially life-saving opioid compounds like hydrocodone and thebaine. But don't text your dealer just yet: This innovative biotechnology could revolutionize our dependency on opium poppies as the primary source for essential medicines, addressing challenges like unpredictable crop yields and pests. However, there's still a long way to go before we can bake these opioid pastries at a commercial scale, and you can bet there's a strictly legalized recipe to prevent any misuse or abuse along the way.
Source => ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

4. Pseudomonas Party

Pseudomonas putida isn't your regular party guest, but when it shows up, it knows how to make a biofuel bash and drug shindig even more rocking: This versatile soil bacterium has the ability to produce ethanol and crucial building blocks for drugs, while also being tough enough to clean oil from soils and thrive in oxygen-poor environments.
Source => ec.europa.eu

5. Hair-raising History

Move over, Rapunzel: hair's untapped potential goes way beyond the fairytales! These tress-treasures aren't just enticing for charming princes, they're a goldmine for scientific discovery: Scientists have successfully extracted and analyzed ancient DNA from hair, leading to breakthroughs in understanding evolutionary relationships and behavior of long-gone species like the woolly mammoth. But as for bringing them back to life, "Jurassic Park" style? That remains a hairy situation.
Source => onlinelibrary.wiley.com

6. Fish Rave

Ever dreamed of a fish rave? Your aquatic fantasies may come close to reality: Taiwanese scientists have engineered glow-in-the-dark fish by injecting fluorescent genes into adult fish's reproductive organs, resulting in bioluminescent offspring. The $320,000-project was carried out by the National Taiwan Ocean University and biotechnology company Jy Lin, with the sparkling swimmers unveiled at the 2012 Taiwan International Aquarium Expo.
Source => trendhunter.com

7. Jellyfish LEDs

When life gives you jellyfish, make biological LEDs! Dr. Rubén Costa is turning these squishy sea-dwellers into sustainable sources of light that could charge your phone: By using fluorescent proteins found in jellyfish, Costa is developing biological LED lights that mimic sunlight and can also be applied to solar windows. This innovative technology converts high-energy blue UV light into low-energy orange-red light, perfect for powering up devices and brightening up the world!
Source => bigthink.com