Scientists have succeeded in genetically engineering cows without prions, which are proteins believed to be behind BSE (mad cow) disease. The tests so far show that the cows suffer no ill effects from the missing prions. Understanding the disease is important, so this is certainly an important scientific achievement, but this alone is no solution to the mad cow problem, which is what the headlines today imply. More inspections and better food production practices (like not feeding cows to other cows for starters) are the most important changes that could happen.
There are similarities here to the "cloned food is safe" story. I don't doubt that, biologically speaking, meat or dairy from cloned animals is indistinguishable from that of regular animals. But you have to ask why they want to clone animals in the first place, and what nasty side-effects will come of this? Factory farming is now so out of control and now unnatural, that while technically we may be getting the same food, we're increasing suffering all around (in both animals and humans), all in the name of quick profits.
Links: Scientists Announce Mad Cow Breakthrough - washingtonpost.com,
Cows, Now without Prions (Wired Bodyhack blog).
While on the "what are they doing to animals now?" topic: Scientists in Oregon are trying to engineer the gay out of sheep, and that's upsetting a lot of people. Link: Science told: Hands off of gay sheep - Sunday Times.
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