Most laboratory biology is done on just a few organisms -- ones that reproduce fast, are easy to care for, and most importantly, have genes that are easy to manipulate. This year, scientists expanded their toolbox with a new model species: squids.
On the left is an unmodified hatchling of a longfin inshore squid . The one on the right was injected with CRISPR-Cas9 targeting a pigmentation gene before the first cell division. It has very few pigmented cells and lighter eyes.
Until recently, cephalopod research has been hindered by the fact that there's been no way to manipulate squid or octopus genes. But all that has changed with the first genetically-altered squid. NPR's Nell Greenfieldboyce explains how this breakthrough was made at the Marine Biological Laboratory and why it's a game changer for scientists who study these critters.
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