X-Message-Number: 6016
From: Peter Merel <>
Subject: Sheep Clones
Date: Mon, 1 Apr 1996 14:00:17 +1000 (EST)

I recently discovered that Nature is online - at "http://www.nature.com/".
Browsing through the abstracts I came across this:

"Embryonic stem-cell technology has revolutionized the functional study
of genes in mice. Now, Campbell et al. describe sheep cell lines which
share many of the characteristics of their mouse counterparts. Nuclei
transferred from such lines into enucleated oocytes can, after
fertilization, give rise to healthy 'cloned sheep'. In the future, such
techniques should allow the analysis and modification of gene function
in sheep and other livestock."
- K H S Campbell, J McWhir, W A Ritchie & I Wilmut "Sheep cloned by
nuclear transfer from a cultured cell line", Nature 380, 64-66 (1996)

I guess the implications are obvious - how much more difficult can it be
to clone men? Advantages to keeping your own clones around include
topping up your cerebrum with your own foetal brain cells, and (more
expensive) live organ transplants. Of course you have to find a willing
womb ... anyone know if that old "cattle bearing human babies" story has
gotten past the National Enquirer stage?

Peter Merel.


Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=6016