Topic > The cloning of farm animals - 553

The first mammal ever cloned was Dolly the sheep. Dolly received international attention when she was successfully cloned using an adult cell. This cloning shocked many Americans, because they thought that cloning would evoke bad images of mad scientists and their quest to cheat the limits of nature. A tremendously high failure rate is the only trait shared between cloning and the trials and tribulations of science. The desire behind animal cloning is to have healthy, high-quality livestock and to continue the genetics of many extraordinary animals. Many advocates talk about the possible benefits cloning could have on endangered species. Variability among living organisms, also known as biodiversity, is the safety of wild populations and livestock against the spread of diseases. Cloning is an attempt to preserve a set of genes desired by a buyer or purchaser of a clone, to create exact copies of the original animal used as the source. In January 2008, the FDA announced that all cloned animals used as meat and even milk from a cloned animal...