Whether you are for or against animal testing, I am not taking sides.  I
do not wish to bring up any debate here PLEASE.  What's done is done.  I
wanted to report something that has rocked the science world.... and
ferrets are responsible.  With this technology, blind ferrets could see,
deaf ferrets could hear, etc.... We all know that this tech will be
available to animals/vets long before humans.  It is very exciting that
our ferrets could benifit from this.
 
Please don't shoot the messanger... I'm very sensitive, and can't handle
flames.  I just wished to report something that has been the talk of the
science and ferret world.
 
http://www.nytimes.com/library/national/science/042500sci-animal-ferret.html
 
By Sandra Blakeslee in the April 25, 2000 New York Times.
 
Like inventive electricians rewiring a house, scientists at the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology have reconfigured newborn ferret
brains so that the animals' eyes are hooked up to brain regions where
hearing normally develops.
 
The surprising result is that the ferrets develop fully functioning visual
pathways in the auditory portions of their brains.... [rest deleted...]
 
[Moderator's note: Wolfy was kind enough to post the entire article for
the FML... unfortunately I can't include that in the FML due to copyright
restrictions (which The New York Times vigorously enforces, by the way).
 
I feel bad about that for a few reasons, not the least of which is that I
worded a note to her rather poorly which led her to believe it was ok to
post.  Anyhow, the above url should get you to it, though registration
may be required.  BIG]
 
Wolfy
Please visit my new instructional site on Deaf Ferrets:
http://www.geocities.com/wolfysluv/deaf.html
http://www.geocities.com/wolfysluv/
[Posted in FML issue 3034]