Federal Government Pays University $1.5 Million To Start A Fight Club For Genetically Modified Hamsters

Although the first rule of fight club is usually to not talk about fight club, an open records request compelled Georgia State University to release details of a study that turned hamsters into aggressive combat machines.

“First, they genetically engineered hamsters, then they drilled into their skulls, and finally, they pitted the hamsters against one another in staged, scored fights,” White Coat Waste revealed on Friday.

The nonprofit claimed that files obtained through the Georgia Open Records Act revealed the university received $1.5 million in taxpayer dollars from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and National Science Foundation (NSF) for the research.

Using CRISPR gene-editing technology, the scientists created “knockout” hamsters to observe changes in social behaviors. The rodents were then administered neuroactive agents through a surgery that involved boring holes into their skulls. In addition to giving scores for “aggressive behavior” — such as “chasing, biting, and pinning” their opponents during competitions in an “arena” — the researchers tracked the frequency of hamsters marking their territory.- READ MORE