Glowing green fish shine light on pollution


QMI Agency

First posted: | Updated:

These new new green-glowing zebrafish are helping scientists understand the damage that pollution causes to both wildlife and humans. (Photo courtesy of the University of Exeter)

Scientists have new insight into how pollution affects marine life thanks to the new florescent green zebrafish they created.

Chemicals in the ocean have long been wreaking havoc on the zebrafish's reproductive system.

So a team at the University of Exeter in England decided to test the fish's sensitivity to different chemicals that affect the estrogen hormone — stuff like ethinyloestradiol, used in the birth control pills and hormone replacement therapy treatments; nonylphenol, used in paints and industrial detergents; and Bisphenol A, which is found in many plastics.

They gave the fish a genetic system that amplifies the response to those chemicals, producing a fluorescent green light. Now, the researchers can see just what parts of the fish are responding to the pollutants.

The team observed results in parts of the body commonly associated with these chemicals. For example, Bisphenol A lit up the heart.

But they also witnessed responses in tissues that were not known to be affected by the chemicals, including the skeletal muscle and eyes.

The findings also shed light on how these chemicals, which are all around us, affect humans.

"This is a very exciting development in the international effort to understand the impact of estrogenic chemicals on the environment and human health. This zebrafish gives us a more comprehensive view than ever before of the potential effects of these hormone-disrupting chemicals on the body," co-author Charles Tyler said in a press release.


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