- Alba (rabbit)
Alba was the name of a genetically modifed "glowing" rabbit created as an artistic work by contemporary artist
Eduardo Kac based on one of the experiments with rabbits lead by French geneticistLouis-Marie Houdebine .Houdebine used the GFP gene found in the
jellyfish , "Aequorea victoria ", that fluoresces green when exposed to blue light. When Alba was exposed to such light she would literally glow green — though photos by Kac showing the entire organism, including its hair, glowing a uniform green have had their veracity challenged. Kristen Philipkoski, [http://www.wired.com/medtech/health/news/2002/08/54399 RIP: Alba, the Glowing Bunny] , "Wired" (12 August 2002).]Eduardo Kac has described Alba as an animal that does not exist in nature. In an article published in the
Boston Globe [Cook, Gareth. "Cross hare: hop and glow", Boston Globe, 9/17/2000, p. A01.] , Houdebine admitted creating Alba for Kac and stated that Alba has a 'particularly mellow and sweet disposition.' This article generated a global mediascandal , which caused Houdebine to distance himself from Kac's work. All subsequent media articles present variations on Houdebine's disengagement effort.The lifespan of Alba is an open question. She may or may not be dead. In 2002 a US reporter called INRA (France), where Houdebine works, and was told that Alba had died. The reporter published an article stating that Alba was dead but the only evidence she provided was this quote: "I was informed one day that bunny was dead without any reason." Rabbits can live up to 12 years but often do not in captivity. At the time, Kac disputed the report, claiming that Houdebine was attempting to avoid further discussion of the issue.
In the 2007
EMBO Members Meeting in Barcelona, Louis-Marie Houdebine presented in detail his version of the reality of 'The GFP rabbit story', placing emphasis onsensationalism by journalists and the TV media. [ [http://www.embo.org/scisoc/media_wkshop07_houdebine.pdf “Dealing with difficult topics in public: A communication workshop focused on controversial issues in science”] ]References
External links
* [http://www.ekac.org/gfpbunny.html Eduardo Kac's website]
* [http://ekac.org/bostong.html Boston Globe article that started the Alba global scandal]
* [http://www.conncoll.edu/ccacad/zimmer/GFP-ww/GFP-1.htm Description of technology used to create Alba]
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