NPR

CRISPR Bacon: Chinese Scientists Create Genetically Modified Low-Fat Pigs

Scientists have used CRISPR, a new gene-editing technique, to create pigs that can keep their bodies warmer, burning more fat to produce leaner meat.
Scientists have used a new gene-editing technique to create pigs that can keep their bodies warmer, burning more fat to produce leaner meat. Infrared pictures of 6-month-old pigs taken at zero, two, and four hours after cold exposure show that the pigs' thermoregulation was improved after insertion of the new gene. The modified pigs are on the right side of the images.

Here's something that may sound like a contradiction in terms: low-fat pigs.

But that's exactly what Chinese scientists have created using new genetic engineering techniques.

In a paper published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the scientists report that they have created 12 healthy pigs with about 24 percent less body fat than normal pigs.

The scientists created low-fat pigs

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