In Japan, researchers have bred certain goldfish to be transparent. If you look closely enough, you can see the brains, heart, and other organs inside one of these fish without dissecting it. The researchers selected goldfish with paler skin and scales and bred them together to create this new line of goldfish they can see through. The albino goldfish, when bred together over generations, became more and more translucent, allowing scientists to see their organs. Breeding them together, rather than genetically altering their DNA, was the method of choice. They are natural organisms, although their parents were selected specifically for breeding together. These goldfish should live for 20 years, if all goes well, and weigh 2 kilograms or more. It will be interesting to see how the organs grow and develop over time – many people will be watching the insides of these fish.
Originally uploaded by Elinesca on Flickr
This post was summarized from an article in The Globe and Mail, Wednesday, December 30, 2009: Japanese Researchers Develop World’s First See-Through Goldfish
That is very cool! I especially like the fact that it was developed so rapidly through selective breeding. It must be interesting to watch them eating…