Scientists Gene Hack Hamsters Into Hyper-Aggressive Monsters

Scientists say that a little gene hacking turned adorable hamsters into vicious monstrosities.

Researchers at Georgia State University said that their experiment with hamsters found that the biology behind social behavior may be more complex than previously thought.

The GSU neuroscience team used the revolutionary gene editing tech to knock out a hormone associated with aggression, communication, and social bonding in both humans and hamsters.

We anticipated that if we eliminated vasopressin activity, we would reduce aggression and social communication.

Mr. Fluff Guy

Syrian hamsters, which are known for their aggression, provide a powerful model for the studies of social behavior because their social organization is much more similar to humans than that observed in mice.

The GSU team was surprised to find that their attempts to turn down the aggression in the hamsters made them both more aggressive and more social.

Albers said in the statement that the findings suggest that neural receptors and the behaviors with which they are associated may not be.

It was not easy to develop gene-edited hamsters. Hopefully they will do a bit more thinking before doing this sort of experiment.

Georgia State University researchers found a way to change the behavior of animals.

Scientists say they might be able to reverse binge drinking.