• Question: In the future, do you think it will be possible to manipulate DNA and for example, give birds gills or give worms wings?

    Asked by libslytherin to Mike, Pip, Tianfu, Tim, Tom on 2 Jul 2012.
    • Photo: Philippa Bird

      Philippa Bird answered on 2 Jul 2012:

      Theoretically yes, but it will require us knowing a lot lot more about the DNA and the things each bit does, and one bit of DNA might make a protein that controls lots of things not just one, so it would probably not be worth the effort. It would also be very expensive.

    • Photo: Tom Lister

      Tom Lister answered on 2 Jul 2012:

      I have seen human ears grown on the backs of mice, so I don’t see why not. Making them functional may be more difficult (could a worm’s metabolism really give enough energy for flight?)

    • Photo: Tim Stephens

      Tim Stephens answered on 2 Jul 2012:

      I imagine that flying worms might be quite a scary prospect. Also, how would the birds catch them?

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