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3 years, 3 months ago

Spider Goat, is that a real animal? Do you have a picture?

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space-angel | 3 years, 3 months ago
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I can't seem to find any, but from reading about them i don't think they look any different than your average goat. They are just genetically mutated so that their milk contains a protein genetically similar to the spider's silk. When extracted these proteins can be spun much like silk from spiders and produce a denser and stronger fiber (named biosteel). It can even be used in bullet-proof vests as it is twice as strong as Kevlar.

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interzone | 3 years, 3 months ago Report

You're right, they look like random goats, indeed. They make them for utility these days, rather than looks.

Back in the 80's when genic engineering was still in its infancy, there was a lot more experimentation going on, people were trying to see what can be done, and how far can one go. An animal called the GEEP was "created" in 1982 - it had a head of a goat, and a sheep body, and it was alive.

This 1986 tobacco plant, spliced with firefly genes, was one successful attempt to combine plant and animal genes in order to produce, let's call it - a novel life form.

The 2005 Live Science article will give you an idea as to how far things have moved since the early days. The monkey gene manipulation program smells funny ;)

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/80/Glowing_tobacco_plant.jpg

the GEEP:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geep

Live Science:
http://www.livescience.com/technology/technovel_mouse_050217.html

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space-angel | 3 years, 3 months ago Report

very interesting. i have seen the "glow gene" in animals before (wasn't it a cat?) but not in plants.

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interzone | 3 years, 3 months ago
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Yes, it's real! See the news article linked bellow for more on it, and some pictures too!

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space-angel | 3 years, 3 months ago Report

ahh. i saw those two goats on one of the articles i was reading, but it did not mention they were actually /the/ goats. i figured they were just random goats...lol.

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pazaq | 3 years, 3 months ago
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Yes and no. The spider goat is just a normal goat where they have genetically modified the milk gland genes so that it produces silk when milked instead of actual milk. They do exist but I don't think they have successfully made a product from the silk.

It just looks like any other goat. So you could put any picture a goat here and you would have what they look like.

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space-angel | 3 years, 3 months ago Report

Actually the goats do not produce silk, they produce a protein in their milk that is made into a silk like material that is more durable than silk. And they have made a product from it, it is called BioSteel and is twice as strong as Kevlar.

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helloluv | 2 years, 4 months ago
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Molecular biologist and University of Wyoming professor Randy Lewis is harvesting a protein that he believes could have applications as far-reaching as bulletproof vests, artificial tendons and even clothing. That substance: spider silk. Stronger than steel and very flexible, spider silk's main drawback is that spiders cannot be farmed the way silkworms can. So Lewis, in collaboration with Nexia Biotechnologies, has developed an alternate harvesting method that involves extracting the silk protein from the milk of transgenic goats that have the spider silk gene inserted into their DNA. Despite this odd byproduct, Lewis says the goats behave and look like any other farm goats. They share space with regular goats, and no one who has seen them can tell them apart.
there is a picture on the site where i got the info

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