1996 : First successful cloning of a mammal
On this day in 1996, Dolly the sheep--the first mammal to have been
successfully cloned from an adult cell--is born at the Roslin
Institute in Scotland.
Originally code-named "6LL3," the cloned lamb was named after the
buxom singer and actress Dolly Parton. The name was reportedly
suggested by one of the stockmen who assisted with her birth, after he
learned that the animal was cloned from a mammary cell. The cells had
been taken from the udder of a six-year-old ewe and cultured in a lab
using microscopic needles, in a method first used in human fertility
treatments in the 1970s. After producing a number of normal eggs,
scientists implanted them into surrogate ewes; 148 days later one of
them gave birth to Dolly.
Dolly's birth was announced publicly in February 1997 to a storm of
controversy. On one hand, supporters argued that cloning technology
can lead to crucial advances in medicine, citing the production of
genetically modified animals to be organ donors for humans as well as
"therapeutic" cloning, or the process of cloning embryos in order to
collect stem cells for use in the development of treatments for
degenerative nerve diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. Some
scientists also looked at animal cloning as a possible way to preserve
endangered species. On the other hand, detractors saw the new cloning
technology as potentially unsafe and unethical, especially when it was
applied to what many saw as the logical next step: human cloning.
Over the course of her short life, Dolly was mated to a male sheep
named David and eventually gave birth to four lambs. In January 2002
she was found to have arthritis in her hind legs, a diagnosis that
raised questions about genetic abnormalities that may have been caused
in the cloning process. After suffering from a progressive lung
disease, Dolly was put down on February 14, 2003, at the age of six.
Her early death raised more questions about the safety of cloning,
both animal and human. Though Ian Wilmut, the lead scientist on the
team that produced Dolly, has spoken out publicly against human
cloning, its supporters are unlikely to be dissuaded. As for Dolly,
the historic sheep was stuffed and is now on display at the National
Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh.
history.com/tdih.do
1865 : Salvation Army founded
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=5150
1946 : Bikini introduced
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=6949
1950 : First U.S. fatality in the Korean War
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=5151
2003 : World Health Organization declares SARS contained worldwide
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=5152
##########################################
On this day in 1996, Dolly the sheep--the first mammal to have been
successfully cloned from an adult cell--is born at the Roslin
Institute in Scotland.
Originally code-named "6LL3," the cloned lamb was named after the
buxom singer and actress Dolly Parton. The name was reportedly
suggested by one of the stockmen who assisted with her birth, after he
learned that the animal was cloned from a mammary cell. The cells had
been taken from the udder of a six-year-old ewe and cultured in a lab
using microscopic needles, in a method first used in human fertility
treatments in the 1970s. After producing a number of normal eggs,
scientists implanted them into surrogate ewes; 148 days later one of
them gave birth to Dolly.
Dolly's birth was announced publicly in February 1997 to a storm of
controversy. On one hand, supporters argued that cloning technology
can lead to crucial advances in medicine, citing the production of
genetically modified animals to be organ donors for humans as well as
"therapeutic" cloning, or the process of cloning embryos in order to
collect stem cells for use in the development of treatments for
degenerative nerve diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. Some
scientists also looked at animal cloning as a possible way to preserve
endangered species. On the other hand, detractors saw the new cloning
technology as potentially unsafe and unethical, especially when it was
applied to what many saw as the logical next step: human cloning.
Over the course of her short life, Dolly was mated to a male sheep
named David and eventually gave birth to four lambs. In January 2002
she was found to have arthritis in her hind legs, a diagnosis that
raised questions about genetic abnormalities that may have been caused
in the cloning process. After suffering from a progressive lung
disease, Dolly was put down on February 14, 2003, at the age of six.
Her early death raised more questions about the safety of cloning,
both animal and human. Though Ian Wilmut, the lead scientist on the
team that produced Dolly, has spoken out publicly against human
cloning, its supporters are unlikely to be dissuaded. As for Dolly,
the historic sheep was stuffed and is now on display at the National
Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh.
history.com/tdih.do
1865 : Salvation Army founded
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=5150
1946 : Bikini introduced
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=6949
1950 : First U.S. fatality in the Korean War
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=5151
2003 : World Health Organization declares SARS contained worldwide
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=5152
##########################################
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