For people who love bacon but hate everything it does to their diet, scientists in China may have created a way to have your pig and eat it too. A team of researchers has genetically altered pigs to carry nearly 24 percent less body fat. Using the CRISPR-Cas 9 gene-editing technique, the team reportedly modified a group of pigs which gave birth to much leaner piglets. The experiment, published in Proceedings of the
National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), is looking to make pigs less susceptible to the cold. Scientists noted that modern pigs, especially younger ones, lack the ability to deal with colder temperatures and build up unhealthy levels of fat. The researchers added that the change could create a huge savings for the pig farming industry. Jianguo Zhoa, one of the Chinese scientists leading the research, added that he doubts the taste of the genetically modified pigs would be any different from normal ones. READ MORE
