Scientists Mutate Critter To Create Ghastly Spider-Like Creature With Short Legs
By genetically modifying Daddy Long Lens, scientists created Daddy Short Legs. This could help researchers understand evolution among arachnids, and much more
Owing to COVID-19, the word "mutation" sends a chill down everyone's spine. But science is unstoppable, and so are its ardent disciples.
Now, scientists have genetically engineered arachnids known as "Daddy Long Legs". Why, you ask? To simply give them short legs.
Dubbed as "Daddy Short Legs", the creature was curated by scientists with the goal to study evolutionary processes that cause their legs to grow so far out in natural circumstances.
The Royal Society
The daunting task was undertaken by Guilherme Gainett from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Under Gainett's guidance, scientists started off by sequencing Daddy's genome.
This wasn't easy, considering there exist 6,000 known species of Daddy Long Legs.
Known as "Harvestmen", the species are closely related to spiders.
What did the researchers do?
Simply put, they turned off a switch. Using a technique known as "RNA interference", the scientists subdued a pair of genes that are responsible for the development of legs in the creatures.
At least hundreds of Daddy Long Legs embryos were modified through this technique. Not much later, Frankenstein's monster (err, monsters in this case) was created.
The Royal Society
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The horrifying results showed that eight legs of six harvestmen were much shorter than naturally mandated.
The genetic modification also caused another change in the legs of the creatures - they lost the ability to grasp on sticks, i.e., tarsomeres. The detailed research was published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society.
What did scientists hope to achieve?
In conversation with CNET, lead researcher Gainett claimed that by playing with nature, they're actually trying to understand the underlying evolutionary processes that give Daddy Long Legs, well, their long legs.
The Royal Society
He further claimed that they hope to understand how genes contribute to the novel features of arachnids, including spider fangs and scorpion pinchers.
Also read: Indian Origin Researcher's Team Catch Rare Transparent Octopus On Video
Scared of spiders and all things arachnid? Worry not, these ones probably won't be making inlays to your bedroom anytime soon.
In the midst of all the paranoia surrounding COVID-19 and the lab-leak theory, do you think now is the ideal time for scientists to modify natural processes that developed species over millions of years?
Let us know what you think in the comments below!
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