New Green Eyes: First butterfly that’s genetically modified

Scientists have for the first time genetically engineered a butterfly, inserting a jellyfish gene into an African butterfly so that its eyes fluoresce green.

EYE FOR EYES. The natural form of an African tropical butterfly Bicyclus anynana. Inset: The magnified eye of a genetically engineered butterfly glows green. W. Piel; (inset) Ramos

The butterfly, Bicyclus anynana, serves as an important subject for studies of how genes control development and how those controls evolve, says Antónia Monteiro of State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo.