neo-Pointsman alert FW: Research fish engineered to have death-wi sh

[Doug Millison]

Scientists in Pennsylvania have created a fish which swims towards danger -
not away from it.

The mutant baby zebra-fish have bad connections in their brains which make
them react in the opposite way to other members of the species.

The fish, nicknamed 'space cadets' by the researchers, are said to prove a
single type of nerve cell controls the urge to get away.

Giant nerve cells at the back of their brains control the escape response
and neighbouring nerves feed into them through badly-wired extensions.

So when researchers prod the fish they spin around and swim towards the
stimulus, according to the journal Nature.

The fish were created so the genes behind growth and development can be
identified by observing the defects they cause.

Michael Granato, who is working on the project with colleagues at the
University of Pennsylvania, said: "It's a clear example of one cell type
involved in a simple behaviour."


See this story on the web at
http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_312447.html