The answer to the age-old problem of milk allergies, also known as lactose intolerance, may have finally been discovered within one simple solution: the breeding of genetically modified and cloned tailless calves who reside in New Zealand.
Okay, so maybe the solution isn’t so simple in retrospect, and maybe there’s only one such cow currently in existence, but as a victim of lactose intolerance who one day dreams of having something other than almond milk with her cheerios, I whole-heartedly applaud this act of divine-mad-science-intervention! Bring on the modified milk!
The experiment, led by a professor of animal science and biochemistry named R. Michael Roberts, began its efforts by genetically altering mice to produce the beta-lactoglobulin protein found only in cattle and sheep. Then, the mice underwent a second experiment which successfully inhibited the production of BLG in the milk. After this ground-breaking accomplishment, the team was ready to move on to the big game: it was cow time.
After dozens of failed attempts at impregnating cows with modified embryos, Dr. Roberts and his team finally achieved a successful implantation, and thus was born the tailless calf that may hold the key to “circumventing milk allergies”. However, the team concedes that much more research and experimentation must be done before the hypoallergenic milk will ever be ready at your local supermarket.
Now before your mind wanders to images of mutant frankencows that eventually take over the world, there seems to be virtually no downside to this special breed of cow. Not only does the calf (who was conceived and still resides in New Zealand) produce milk “that contains no detectable levels of beta-lactoglobulin” (the protein which triggers milk allergies), but this hypoallergenic milk is actually even more nutritious than that of a regular cow and contains twice the amount of the “healthy milk proteins known as caseins”.
But notice, Nation, that I said there are virtually no drawbacks, which most certainly implies that there must be at least one negative consequence to creating this milk. One of the issues expressed by both animal rights advocates and raw/organic food enthusiasts is the manual injection of hormones placed into the calf in order to artificially induce the production of the hypoallergenic milk. While some call the process inhumane and others call it unhealthy, the point remains that more research must be conducted before any definitive conclusions about the consumption of the milk can be formed.
But enough about my obsession with one day having an ice cream cone like a normal person…
What’s your opinion on the cloning of animals, Nation?
Do you find it inhumane and impractical or do you think the ends will justify the means?
