The most spectacular of Niu's claims is the ability of RNA to redirect the formation of whole organs in intact animals. Specifically, he claims to have created goldfish that have balancer appendages or tail shapes derived from newts or carp, and that these new traits can be inherited. Such fish, if they existed, would be of intense interest to many biologists. However, when the authors asked to see these animals, Niu claimed that they are all kept at another location even though the Institute of Developmental Biology has extensive fish-raising facilities on its own campus. If and when these fish are made available to other investigators, it should be straightforward to check them for the presence of newt or carp genetic information using modern methods.