Japanese Researchers Create Mutant Mice that `Sing'
Frank Sinatra it is not but take a listen to a genetically-engineered mouse bred by Japanese scientists at of Osaka University.
Why the scientists are spending their time creating a race of mutant singing mice is a question for another day - the project's lead researcher Arikuni Uchimura says that one day he hopes the work will result in the creation of "a Mickey Mouse."
In the near term, however, Uchimura and his colleagues hope to uncover clues to the evolution of human language. So far, the project has resulted in the creation of more than 100 'singing mice' for the researchers to study.
"Mutations are the driving force of evolution," Uchimura told AFP. "We have cross-bred the genetically modified mice for generations to see what would happen. We checked the newly born mice one by one... One day we found a mouse that was singing like a bird."
He added that the team decided to focus on mice rather than birds "because they are mammals and much closer to humans in their brain structures and other biological aspects...We are watching how a mouse that emits new sounds would affect ordinary mice in the same group... in other words if it has social connotations."