Why, yes. That is a mouse with a human ear growing out of it's back, thank you for asking inb4 old news, I know, it cropped in in a convo and I thought I'd shock all the Godlovers and people who haven't seen it inb4 lolphotoshop cause it's not.
The ear is so that it can be transplanted onto a human body. Somehow they can change to DNA of rodents to grow human bodyparts as they grow and mature.
It's not a human ear, and it's DNA has not been changed... Basically, from what I remember, it's some cow's cartilage that's been put in an ear-shaped mould, so it will eventually grow into that shape, and is then transplanted onto the mouse. The type of mouse they use has no immune system, so it doesn't suffer from graft-versus-host. As the cartilage grows, it takes on the shape of the mould, and can then be used as a transplant. It can't hear like a normal ear, as it's just a piece of cartilage, so it's not like you could transplant two onto a deaf person and they'll suddenly be able to hear or anything. So, yeah. Not a human ear, and no genetic engineering. It's awesome, because there's simply nothing that anyone can possibly argue against. If this is wrong, then growing crops and fruit is wrong. It's practically the same thing.
Well Itza i'm sure some animal rights groups will see something a tad bit wrong in breeding a mouse with no immune system for the sole purpose of sticking a fake ear on its back when we already knew it was possible =P
I think it was a natural mutation, so if you think about it that way, this is the best place for it. After all, the scientists wouldn't want them to die, and they'd be protected from any possible infections. If it were anywhere else it would have already died by now. Besides, if it did have an immune system, imagine how much it graft-versus-host it'd suffer with such a big lump of cow cartilage transplanted into its back! And we didn't already know it was possible. That's why they had to do all this stuff.
It was more likely stem cell. I remember reading the article a while ago in the paper, then a science magazine.
Now they grow them on... People! Jesus christ I have two of them growing out of the sides of my head!
Actually, Psi's right, it is a stem cell thing. Technically, the mouse is a chimera. Pretty hardcore stuff.
The funny thing is that's actually right. They do the same thing they did with the mice now, but do it with their own cartilage and on the side of their own head. Ingenious!
