Glow-in-dark kitten lend a paw to AIDs fight

Cats that can glow in the dark from a new genetic engineering technique are helping scientists study molecules that could stop AIDS.

So far, the researchers have created three genetically engineered kittens that can glow green and pass this gene onto their offspring. They explained that cats are much better models for AIDS viruses than are mice and other animals.
In addition to opening a window into the virus in humans, the cat research may end up helping the felines themselves, the researchers said.

The world is currently facing two devastating AIDS pandemics— one in humans, the other in domestic cats. The viruses responsible, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV), are highly similar.

Researchers have long wanted to genetically experiment with cats to better understand how to combat AIDS. To create genetically modified animals, scientists insert genes into their genomes, often using benign viruses as the delivery vehicles.

Investigators commonly target the earliest possible stages in an animal's development so the gene gets installed into all of its cells — any later, and the gene can end up in some tissues but not others.

At first scientists created genetically engineered cats using cloning, and then implanting the modified nucleus of that cell into an egg cell that had its nucleus removed; the resulting cell then develops into an embryo much like a fertilized egg would. In this manner, researchers generated felines that were either fluorescent red or green, a glow-in-the-dark cat being visible proof of the genetic engineering succeeding.

 However, this kind of cloning is very difficult to perform, as it essentially involves delicate surgery on cells, Now scientists have developed a new way to create genetically engineered domestic cats where they modify egg cells directly with viruses.

"We want to see if we can protect the domestic cat against its AIDS virus, if we can protect any species, eventually including ours, against its own AIDS virus," Scientist Poeschla said.

Scientists created transgenic cats that generated or expressed antiviral proteins taken from rhesus monkeys. Such molecules can block retroviruses such as HIV and FIV.Preliminary results suggested cells from these cats grown in the lab resisted replication of the feline AIDS virus FIV, keeping it from spreading.

This research has tried 22 times and created 5 kittens, but only 3 survived. The researchers stress their work could also help cats themselves, not just humans.

Retrieved published fo rescue dogs for 911 10th anniversy

On the 10th anniversary of 911, the book "Retrieved" will be published and highlights rescue dogs on the that day.

After the attacks, more than hundreds of rescue dogs and their owners are searching around the disaster area, Ground Zero to search for survivors. After a decade, there are only 12 of them are still alive.

These dogs worked tirelessly to search for anyone trapped alive in the rubble, along with countless emergency service workers and members of the public.

These dogs are featured in a book, "Retrieved," by photographer Charlotte Dumas. Dumas travel across nine states in the U.S. from Texas to Maryland to capture the remaining dogs in their twilight years in their homes where they still live with their handlers.

Noted for her touching portraits of animals, especially dogs, Charlotte wants her book not only mark the anniversary of the 911, but also recognition for some of the first responders and their dogs.

Mozie, 13, from Winthrop, Massachusetts, arrived with her handler, Mark Aliberti, at the World Trade Center on the evening of September 11 and searched the site for 8 days.

Tara, 16, from Ipswich, Massachusetts, arrived at the World Trade Center on the night of the 11th. The dog and her handler Lee Prentiss were there for eight days

Kaiser, 12, pictured at home in Indianapolis, Indiana, was deployed to the World Trade Center on September 11 and searched tirelessly for people in the rubble

Bretagne and his owner Denise Corliss from Cypress, Texas, arrived at the site in New York on September 17, remaining there for ten days

Bretagne takes a break from work at the 9/11 site with his handler Denise

Guinness, 15, from Highland, California, started work at the site with Sheila McKee on the morning of September 13 and was deployed at the site for 11 days

Searching for survivors: The dogs worked around the clock in the vain hope of finding anyone still alive at the World Trade Center site

The dogs are now old and they will soon pass away.

'These portraits are about how time passes, and how these dogs and their portraits are offering us a way to deal with the things that happened as well as relying on them for comfort,' said Charlotte.

Happy Feet is going back home

The lost emperor penguin Happy Feet is going back home! Happy Feet was released from the research vessel Tangaroa on Sunday morning.


Happy Feet was discovered June 20 on a New Zealand beach far from his Antarctic feeding grounds. He became sick from eating sand and was transferred to the Wellington Zoo. His story has captured the imagination of people around the world.

This worldwide celebrity has been take care by specialist after operation in his own special ice-filled quarters is getting better.

'It's an indescribable feeling to see a patient finally set free. It's definitely the best part of the job,' said veterinary surgeon Lisa Argilla who treated the penguin after he was found emaciated and near death in late June.

Life-saving: A team of medics operate on Happy Feet

Happy Feet, was released into the water from the New Zealand fisheries vessel Tangaroa near Campbell Island, about 700km south of New Zealand's South Island. His home in Antarctica is about 2,000km further south and it is expected he will join up with other emperor penguins on the long voyage.

More familiar environment: Happy Feet is released in Antarctica from his big blue crate was four people try and encourage him to go down a specially-made slide and into the water

Back home: Happy Feet prepares to be sent back into the sea two months after he was discovered in New Zealand

F-f-f-f-Freezing: Happy Feet prepares to go back into the sea for the first time in two months

In he goes: The three foot tall emperor penguin slowly moves towards the water in Antarctica

Gone: Happy Feet disappears for good.

But just in case he gets lost again, the wayward penguin has been fitted with a tracking device, so the team and the public can follow his progress back home.

The biggest human-raccoon family, 4 human and 20 raccoons

A big family in UK is a big fan for raccoons. There are in total 24 family members in the family, 2 adults, 2 children and 20 raccoons.


Michelle and Sean Rhodes the parents of the family are so besotted with their 'gaze' of raccoons that they regard them like their children, and spend £3,000 a year on their upkeep.


The family even forgo holidays because they think no one can be trusted to look after the animals, meanwhile the lovely creatures also feel left out unless they are allowed to tag along.

After Michelle bought the first raccoon on the internet pet shop, the whole family are fall in love with raccoons. Then they keep on buy more and raise more raccoons which share three bedrooms.


Mrs Rhodes, 39, who does not work in order to care for the animals, and her husband, a business consultant, have dedicated the last four years to raising the creatures who now have the run of their three bedroom terraced house in Portsmouth.

Four years on life, has been totally transformed with every household task being carried out with a raccoon either helping or hindering.


'Raccoons are my life,' Mrs Rhodes added. 'They are totally part of my family - my husband and kids love them to bits. But they are very clever and quite naughty when they put their minds to it.

While 20 raccoons might seem a few too many for most, the Rhodes family is expanding. Five youngsters were bred this year and are being hand-raised after they were rejected by their mothers.

Raccoons are native to north America where they live in forests as well as cities. They are so adaptable that since they were introduced to Russia in the 1930's their population has spread across Asia into Europe. They have been spotted in the wild as far west as Denmark.

First CLONED cat nears 10 years old

The first cloned cat (CC) is almost 10 years old and is being very healthy. CC and her boyfriend Smokey and her three little kitten is now living with two owner, Kraemer couple together. 

Ten years ago, after scientists cloned the first cat, experts predicted a surge of clients wishing to resurrect their beloved pets. But that has not been the case.

Texas A&M University scientists Mark Westhusin and Duane Kraemer cloned the first cat in 2001. CC was born three days before Christmas, after a little more than a year of experimentation.

Mr Kraemer, one of the scientist said that the cloning is not resurrection but breeding. They will not have the same features.

CC, for "CopyCat" or "Carbon Copy" is a brown tabby and white domestic short-hair Its surrogate mother was a tabby, but her genetic donor, Rainbow, was a calico domestic short-hair. The difference in hair coloration between CC and Rainbow is due to epigenetic re-programming, which normally occurs in a fertilized embryo before implantation.

In September 2006, CC gave birth to three kitten who were fathered naturally. This is the first time a cloned pet has given birth. CC appears to be free of the cloning-related health problems that have arisen in some other animal clones.

"CC has always been a perfectly normal cat and her kittens are just that way, too," says Kraemer. "We’ve been monitoring their health and all of them are fine, just like CC has been for the past five years."

A Skydiving Pug?

America previous president Bush was skydiving for celebrating his 85 birthday. In California, Otis the pug does his 64th tandem skydiving.

Otis ten-year-old pug hailing from Galt, Calif., made his 64th jump (tandem, of course) with his owner, Will DaSilva, on Monday afternoon.

The little guy has been jumping out of planes with DaSilva since he was just one year old, but each jump continues to excite him.

"He's all excited about it, gets nervous at the door just like all the rest of the skydivers, and then once he gets out he's just having a ball. He's just like a dog with his head out the car window, just flapping away." DaSilva says.

DaSilva also emphasizes that he won't let Otis do it by his own, Otis must be accompanied by himself.

Apart from skydiving, Otis just likes normal pug, loves to stick with DaSilva and his fiancée

£8,000 on a dog facelift

A bloodhound dog in UK, Junior,has rare skin disorder, he had not grown into his skin properly and the weight of the excess flesh above his face had caused it to fold and cover his eyes. Junior's owner Denise and David Smart who live in Selby, North Yorkshire desired to take Junior for the operation which cost £8,000.


Junior is lonely and has fiery temper because of the rare skin disorder which result in blindness.


The couple told how they repeatedly took their five-year-old pooch to the vet where he at first had an eyelash removed. But his condition did not improve and he began suffering from a problem called entropion which could have led to Junior - the offspring of a Crufts champion - permanently losing his sight.

Vets referred Denise and David to a specialist called Gary Lewin who performed the delicate face lift - which he later described as the most difficult he'd ever done - during a three-hour operation. 

                              Before                                             After

Junior's excess skin was removed allowing him to see clearly - and the couple say their pet has been given a new lease of life. 


Junior's excess skin was removed allowing him to see clearly - and the couple say their pet has been given a new lease of life.Junior then has a better mood and temper, and also a more stable emotional.

Junior is happier after having the surgery.