Canadian scientists create eco-friendly hog

CANADA -- If you've seen the Wizard of Oz, then you've seen the multi-colored horse. While Technicolor was the cause of that equine's color, a group of Canadian scientists have expanded out into the animal kingdom and created a 'green' pig.

The swine, dubbed the "enviropig" is genetically engineered to produce less phosphorous. It was highlighted by National Geographic. According to the magazine, the animal's urine and feces contain "up to up to 65 percent less phosphorous."

The animal was approved for limited production in Canada.

The magazine states that this change in waste production could be good for the environment. Phosphorous from animal waste can reportedly play a role in causing increases in algae populations, which could be harmful to the wildlife that lives in lakes, rivers, and ocean deltas as algae "deplete the water's oxygen, creating vast dead zones for fish and other aquatic life."

The new biotech pig could take years to pass U.S. and Canadian tests for commercial use and human consumption, noted Steven Liss, an environmental scientist at the University of Guelph in Ontario and a spokesperson for the project.

"This will be probably the most significant transgenic food to be approved. We're in new territory," Liss said.

Story courtesy of National Geographic, where you can read the full article.