By Susan Milius
Scientists have for the first time genetically engineered a butterfly, inserting a jellyfish gene into an African butterfly so that its eyes fluoresce green.
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The butterfly, Bicyclus anynana, serves as an important subject for studies of how genes control development and how those controls evolve, says Antónia Monteiro of State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo. She and her colleagues figured out how to use molecular techniques to transform the butterfly and open new research opportunities in genetics, she says. The researchers describe their work in an upcoming issue of the Royal Society of London’s Biology Letters.