Institute For The Future

Gene Manipulation Makes Meek Mice Fearless

Here is another possible tool to add to the repertoir of body extension tools we discussed at the last Tech Horizons exchange. A recent article in New Scientistreports that deactivating the gene that codes for the protein stathmin transforms meek mice into daredevils. According to the article:

The research found that mice lacking an active gene for the protein stathmin are not only more courageous, but are also slower to learn fear responses to pain-associated stimuli, says geneticist Gleb Shumyatsky, at Rutgers University in New Jersey, US.

 

In the experiments, the stathmin-lacking mice wandered out into the centre of an open box, in defiance of the normal mouse instinct to hide a