The arctic fox, which lives in small populations along the mountain range in northern Sweden, is highly endangered, but through biotechnology, the species would have a greater chance of surviving.
- We could take cell samples from dead mountain foxes and put them in surrogate mothers to broaden the genetic diversity, says Jesper Stage, professor of economics and project manager at Luleå University of Technology, LTU.
May soon be a reality in Sweden
Through genetic modification, the mountain fox could also be made less vulnerable to scabies.
This is research that may soon be used in reality, but it is not entirely uncontroversial.
Therefore, through a research project at LTU, Jesper Stage now wants to find out the public's attitude to biotechnology before it is used on a larger scale.
- If we genetically modify the mountain fox so that it will survive better in the environment we have created, do people stop thinking that it is a real mountain fox then ?, says Jesper stage.
Hear more in the clip.