Monkeys Become Latest Glowing Animals

Where were the mad scientists when Wham! filmed its 1980s glow-in-the dark music videos? Now joining the ranks of mice, rabbits and pigs that glow green under a blacklight are marmoset monkeys, the BBC reports.

Japanese researchers took a green fluorescent protein gene (found naturally in some jellyfish), wove it into the DNA of a few lucky marmosets embryos, then let the monkeys mate. While only five of 91 baby monkeys carried the gene, by scientific standards the experiment was a glowing success.

What's the big deal about this seemingly weird science? Tagging genes with green-glowing protein is a Nobel prize-winning technique because it helps researchers understand how complex organisms work -- and discover new ways to fight poorly understood diseases in humans. For example, scientists can tag genes thought to lead to Parkinson's disease and easily check in on their activity with an ultraviolet lamp.

The marmosets are a particularly big breakthrough for a few reasons: one, because monkeys are more genetically similar to humans than any other creature engineered to shine green; two, because their blood, hair roots and skin give off a glow, not just one body tissue (as with previous experiments); and three, monkey brains are bigger and more similar to human thinking caps that those of mice, thus better to study for neurological disorders.

No word yet on whether or not the glowing primates will ever hit local pet stores.