These have since bred with normal goats and transferred the spider silk gene to female offspring, which are now pregnant. Learn how your comment data is processed. Your email address will not be published. Other than their ability to produce the spider silk protein, the goats do not seem to have any other odd differences in health, appearance, or behavior compared to goats without the gene, the researchers said. However, spiders tend to be territorial, so when the researchers tried to set up spider farms, the spiders killed each other. Spider goats are genetically engineered goats whose milk contains spider-silk protein. They explain that not only is alfalfa widely distributed, it also has a high (20-25%) protein content, making it an ideal crop to produce silk protein. To solve this problem, Randy Lewis, a professor of molecular biology at the University of Wyoming, and other researchers decided to put the spiders’ dragline silk gene into goats in such a way that the goats would only make the protein in their milk. We are committed to publishing the strangest most odd and freaky news stories and photos our wonderful weird world can throw up. We are not in the business of promoting fake stories. The Freaky celebrates the odd, the weird and bizarre. Like any other genetic factor, only a certain percentage of the goats end up with the gene. When these transgenic goats have kids and start lactating, the researchers will collect the milk and purify the spider silk protein into “much, much higher quantities,” Lewis said. For instance, of seven goat kids born in February 2010, three have tested positive for having the silk protein gene. In the future, the scientists plan to incorporate the silk genes into alfalfa plants, which they say could produce even larger quantities of silk. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Due to its strength and elasticity, spider silk fiber could have several medical uses, such as for making artificial ligaments and tendons, for eye sutures, and for jaw repair. However strange the stories are, we strive to check their factual accuracy. Required fields are marked*. Normally, getting enough spider silk for these applications requires large numbers of spiders. The scientists genetically modified the goats by implanting spiders’ silk-spinning genes into them, allowing them to harvest the silk protein from the goats’ milk for a variety of applications. In a sense, spider-goats are an extension of the farming we've been doing for 10,000 years. All livestock and arable has been carefully bred, each cross being a genetic experiment of its own. Nexia bred two male goats modified with spider genes in January 2000. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. The silk can also be used in bulletproof vests and to  improve car airbags. produce large quantities of a spider silk that is among the strongest substances Professor Randy Lewis created spider-goats by genetically modifying a part of the goat DNA by substituting it with a spider gene. Weird Science: The goats with spider genes, Man doesn’t talk to his wife for 20 years, The Real Dirk Diggler - The Shocking Tale of 70's Adult Movie Star John Holmes, Seagull eats whole rat on Rome street (freaky video), You'll never guess what lies beneath this duck, The town where everyone lives underground, Man creates fantastic mural on his driveway with a pressure washer, Live worm removed from woman’s brain (Freaky Video), Shocking moment 3 year old girl gets swept into air holding a kite.

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