Leave The Pigs Alone
Whoa... wait a minute here... genetically modified pigs that produce omega-3 fish oil? What's this world coming to?!While the idea sounds cool (imagine, healthy bacon and pork chops for a change), aren't we playing God a bit too much here?If a new kind of pork makes it to the dinner table, diners worried about fat and heart disease might finally be free to, well, pig out.
Scientists using genetic-engineering techniques have produced pigs rich in omega-3 fatty acids, a kind of healthful fat abundant in fish but not naturally found in meat. [The Seattle Times]
And, hold your horses... it seems that after experimenting with the pigs, the same wacky scientists are planning to develop a similar concept with cows and chickens:
Dr. Jing X. Kang, an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and the lead author of the new paper, said pigs were only the beginning, adding that he was also developing cows that make omega-3's in their milk and chickens that have the fatty acids in their eggs. [New York Times]Seriously though, what's the point when omega-3 is already in abundant supply (in fish meat and dietary supplements available over the pharmacy and supermarket counters)? Shouldn't we instead be concentrating our research efforts on areas that have more genuine potential health benefits, rather than instant financial ones (e.g. by the unnecessary marketing of such pigs)?
Come on, the world doesn't need omega-3-producing pigs (no offence, pigs). The world needs a cure for AIDS, cancer, and Alzheimer's!
