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Scientists Modify Monkey DNA

PLANET OF THE APES

Cut-and-paste genes.

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Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty

Cut and paste isn't just for your keyboard anymore. Researchers in China have created genetically modified monkeys by copying DNA into living beings, which could allow them to recreate human diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. Animal rights groups have criticized the new tests, which they say will give scientists "almost limitless power to create sick animals." (Meanwhile, Merck said it would end chimpanzee research.) The technique could also be used to test drugs or monitor diseases on small pieces of lab-grown human organs.

Read it at The Guardian