Michael Andreucci
"Super Mouse"
Following the research I conducted on Muller’s fruit fly experiments, I wanted to learn more about recent experiments involving genetic engineering. After looking around a bit on different genetic websites I stumbled upon an article about the first transgenic animal.
Richard Palmiter and Ralph Brinster, two biochemists, started their research together and set out to discover “how cells read the genetic code and translate that information into biological structures” (Klein). To do this they began experimenting with implanting foreign genes into embryos and then transferred the eggs to surrogate mother mice. After watching the mice grow, Palmiter and Brinster documented that they were able to see the desired trait in the offspring but not only that, the trait was also passed down to the offspring’s offspring. This led to huge breakthroughs because for the first time in history, scientists were able to successfully implant foreign genes into an animal.
