To view previous Health Updates see our Reading Room. The cloned sheep was named Dolly, and following her birth there was an outpouring of interest throughout the world and concern that this method could be used on humans. The implications of this research are numerous. For example, the prospect of human cloning raises profound moral and ethical questions about the value and dignity of human life. Join us this month for a review of the technology that led to the creation of Dolly, and let us know where you stand on the ethical issues surrounding this technology.
Cloning is the creation of genetically identical copies of a single parent cell or organism.
The cloning method used to produce Dolly is known as somatic-cell nuclear transfer. This nucleus was then inserted into an egg whose own nucleus had been removed. The egg cell divided and developed into an embryo, and the embryo was transferred to the uterus of a surrogate sheep, where it continued to grow. Five months later, the sheep gave birth to a healthy lamb, named Dolly. Analysis of her genetic material has confirmed that she is indeed derived from the mammary gland of the adult sheep.