--- title: "Scientists Create Horrifically Mutated Spider-Like Creatures" description: "Scientists have genetically engineered daddy long legs to create a version with short legs. Read more about the mutated spiders here." date: "2021-08-10" modified: "2021-08-18" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/scientists-create-horrifically-mutated-spider-like-creatures" categories: - "Science & Energy" tags: - "RNA Interference" - "spiders" - "the digest" --- # Scientists Create Horrifically Mutated Spider-Like Creatures ![Scientists have genetically engineered daddy long legs to create a version with short legs, an effort to study how arachnids' genomes evolve over time.]() *\Image: Gainett et al.\* ## Daddy Short Legs Scientists have genetically engineered the critters known as daddy long legs to create a mutated version with, well, short legs, in an effort to study how arachnids' genomes evolve over time — and why their creepy legs grow so lengthy in the first place, [*CNET* reports](). The media has largely presented the work as cute, and it may well bolster our understanding of genetics. But images of the gene-hacked monstrosities are downright disturbing (not that the control group, with no genetic modifications, is exactly adorable.) ![]() ## Gene Interference The team, led by Guilherme Gainett from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, first sequenced the genome of the bug, which was one of more than 6,000 known species of daddy long legs called harvestmen, which are [technically close cousins]() of spiders. Then, they used a technique called "RNA interference" to shut off a pair of genes associated with leg development in hundreds of embryos of the critter. The grisly result: six of the harvestmen's eight legs were underdeveloped and much shorter, as detailed in [their paper]() published in the journal *Proceedings of the Royal Society B*. The limbs also lost their tarsomeres, which give them the ability to grasp around sticks. "The genome of the daddy long legs holds great potential to clarify the complex history of arachnid genome evolution and body plan, as well as to reveal how daddy long legs make their unique long legs," Gainett told *CNET*. "Looking forward, we are interested in understanding how genes give rise to novel features of arachnids, such as spider fangs and scorpion pinchers, and also leveraging the genome to develop the first transgenic harvestmen," he added. For the arachnophobic among us, let's just hope the scientists don't end up with giant daddy long legs the next time they decide to genetically engineer the creatures. **READ MORE:** [Scientists tweak daddy long legs genes to create daddy short legs]() \[*CNET*\] **More on genetic engineering:** *[Residents Furious at Release of 500 Million Gene-Hacked Mosquitoes]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()