Is it possible to genetically engineer smarter pets?

Question

I mean like to filter the genetic feature of intelligence from the the subject's DNA..

Answer 1

Theoretically it is possible, in actuality we are a long ways from being able to genetically engineer smarter pets. If you are interested in having smarter pets it is very easy to 'engineer' them yourself. Purchase a large number of your individuals of your favorite pet species, define what intelligence is to you and test the individuals for that form of intelligence, breed only the top 10% of individuals according to your defintion of intelligence, and voilà - in a handful of generations you will have considerably smarter pets. In most cases artifical selection for traits works much faster and less expensively than genetic engineering. Genetic engineering is most useful in cases where traits are determined by a single gene and particularly when you have to cross species boundaries to get an allele from one species into another that is not capable of hybridizing with.

Answer 2

Probably not....Certainly not soon at all.

First, folks don't really agree on what "intelligence" actually is. Second, intelligence is almost certainly the result of interactions between a mess of different genes and their products. So, determining what combination of what genes makes something intelligent is a looong way down the road...

Answer 3

No. But one should start with humans first, anyway. My cat was ten times smarter than over fifty percent of the US voting population for the last two presidential elections.

;-)

Answer 4

See this article, its recent research on Doogie Mice (after Doogie Hauser)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/435816.stm

Answer 5

Of course! Haven't you met my girlfriend? ;)

Answer 6

it isnt impossible its just not proven