The truth about zebrafish

The truth about zebrafish

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Zebrafish are tropical freshwater fish in the minnows family.

They are popular aquarium fish because they are strong and sturdy, as well as eye-catching.

Please look more closely.

Zebrafish Characteristics.

Derived from the Himalayan area, Zebrafish is naturally discovered as Shoal Fish and tends to live in shallow ponds and standing water.

They are usually the most abundant fish in the water they live in.

It is an omnivore that eats a variety of things from mud and sand, insects and spiders, plants and algae to fish scales and even trash.

Zebras have 25 chromosomes and their genome consists of about 1.5 x 10 billion base pairs, compared to a mammal genome size of about 3 x 10 billion base pairs.

This is quite unbelievable because they are such a small creature compared to many other mammals out there.

Zebra fish and science.

Zebrafish is also highly used in modern scientific and medical research.

An example of this happened in early 2007, when a team of Chinese researchers genetically modified Zebrafish to use them as estrogen markers - Zebrafish will turn green if inside.

This has helped them determine the level of estrogen pollution in lakes and rivers around China's Phuc Dan region, hence the link as the cause of male infertility in these regions.

The reason Zebrafish are so popular for use in medical research is due to a number of genetic factors.

These factors include things like the short lifespan and transparency of the embryo.

Various mutations that disrupt embryo development have been isolated in Zebrafish because many of these mutations have been used as models for human diseases.

This means we will be able to gain a deeper understanding of the genetic networks that control the growth of vertebrates, including humans.

Zebrafish has been used in scientific research to develop therapies or forms of prevention of cancer, malignancies and cardiovascular disease.

Above all, they also helped unlock new scientific fields in the field of retinal damage repair, and help strengthen human immune systems.

So while Zebrafish are incredibly eye-catching and will make a great addition to your tropical aquarium, they are also key to scientific research.

What a remarkable little friend.