The zebra fish are replacing mice in some research labs. Biologists at the University of Oregon discovered how useful the tiny zebra fish can be for research. Their genes and embryos mimic human physiology in convenient ways for breakthrough research.

They lay transparent eggs that allow scientists to quickly and inexpensively track embryonic development from a single-cell embryo to birth with a microscope.

Some examples of what might be learned is how gene manipulation in fish hearts can help researchers learn how to fix malformed organs in human newborns and future gene therapies for various kinds of cancers or issues related to autism, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.

And the potential will grow. The Zebrafish International Resource Center estimates that thousands of boutique Zebrafish variants will populate the wet labs for bioscientific research.

Photo by Andy’s World.

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