They cloned a camel...

[kherrmann3]

I guess the United Arab Emirates announced that they cloned a camel. This is the word's first cloned camel (as if they don't all look the same?) . It is a Dromedary Camel (one hump). According to Wikipedia, Dromedary Camels are extinct in the wild. I did not know that!

Injaz in the world's first cloned camel. Welcome to the world, little genetic freak-of-not-nature!

Here is the Wiki Article. Enjoy!

This is just a picture of a Dromedary Camel, not Injaz.

 

[hartleybun]

dolly the sheep springs to mindfollowed by brave new world. reading the wiki article i dont think that the pic they use is the cloned camel.

how long before some grieving bunny owner clones their bun? and is disappointed to find that you cant clone character.

methinks pandora's boxh34r2

 

[kherrmann3]

I know they clone dogs and such for rich, snobby, grieving pet owners. Some lady cloned her pit bull, "Booger", for a ridiculously large amount of money. She was going to keep all of the puppies.

Something interesting that I learned from my Medical Law & Ethics class was that cloned animal's cells are the same age that the "clonee's" cells were. If you cloned a two-year-old bunny, the new clone would be born with two-year-old cells. That's at least how my teacher explained it.

Too bad about not cloning character!

(I knew that wasn't Injaz, I just wanted to make my post pretty with a picture. I added a caption above it now.)

 

[pinksalamander]

Are cloned animals actually living longer now? I know Dolly the Sheep didn't live very long and they couldn't really say what the life span of a cloned animal would be because the technology is so new.

 

[Luvmyzoocrew]

I think it is so neat but at the same time so scary!!! when does it stop, KWIM?

 

[kherrmann3]

pinksalamander wrote:

Are cloned animals actually living longer now? I know Dolly the Sheep didn't live very long and they couldn't really say what the life span of a cloned animal would be because the technology is so new.

They have the shorter lifespans because they are born with "older" cells. The cells in a newborn clone are the age of the animal the cells were taken of.

Example:
Sheep #1 is 3 years old.
Sheep #2 (clone) is a newborn, but has cells that are 3 years old because they are cloned from Sheep #1.

Sheep #2 is going to have a shorter lifespan because it was born with cells that already lived 3 years, so it won't have those years...

I hope that makes sense...

 

[BethM]

I saw a piece on This American Life (the tv show, season 1), where some people cloned their beloved "pet" bull. (These people even had the thing skinned, and keep the hide in a box in their house. Gross.) The first bull was very gentle, but the clone ended up goring the guy (he lived).

The bull's name was Chance, not sure if there's more info out there on this story or not. The first season of This American Life is available on Netflix, and can be watched instantly on your computer, if you have a Netflix subscription.

Cloning is weird, but amazing. I love science! For more scientific info about aging and cell lifespan, check out WNYC's Radio Lab podcast, the episode called Mortality. Fascinating stuff, I have listened to that episode several times, it is just SO amazing.

 

[missyscove]

The cells themselves can't possibly be several years old. It's possible that what you're referring to is telomere length in the DNA of cloned animals, which is sometimes, but not always, found to be shorter.

 

[kherrmann3]

It's like the cells start out older, or something like that. It's how my teacher explained it. Cells can't get "younger" or anything.

 

[BethM]

Telomere length is related to the "age" of the cells, and to the particular Hayflick Limit of the cells. Not sure exactly how that relates to cloning, though, as the cells eventually die off naturally, while the newer cells continue on.

 

[pinksalamander]

I iz confused.

 

[irishlops]

i dont agree with it.
god made animals.
they gave them. (and us)reprodution organs.
sorted.
we dont need to go messing about with it.
(my view only)

 

[Flash]

I was reading an article about the baby Wooly Mammoth and they may clone her. It would be with a female elephant to create Hybrids then to eventually a Wooly Mammoth. They also mentioned cloning extinct animals like the Tasmanian Tiger, that would be interesting.

 

[LadyBug]

Flash wrote:

I was reading an article about the baby Wooly Mammoth and they may clone her. It would be with a female elephant to create Hybrids then to eventually a Wooly Mammoth. They also mentioned cloning extinct animals like the Tasmanian Tiger, that would be interesting.

i think that would be really cool. can't really see the point of cloning pets, though. i'd give anything to have a kitten from my (heart) kitty, Prince, but he was neutered when he was tiny. but what would the point of cloning him be? i think it would be so hard to have an animal that looked just like your first one but acted differently.........

 

[paul2641]

Flash wrote:

I was reading an article about the baby Wooly Mammoth and they may clone her. It would be with a female elephant to create Hybrids then to eventually a Wooly Mammoth. They also mentioned cloning extinct animals like the Tasmanian Tiger, that would be interesting.

I agree with cloning of extinct animals because most animals that are now extinct were caused my humans taking them out so we should bring them back.

 

[kherrmann3]

Unfortunately, they can't clone them yet because of the lack of genetic diversity, or something like that. Plus, how would species that were extinct for so long fit back in their "natural" habitat?

 

[BethM]

This is a bit off-topic, but speaking of animals not fitting into their "natural" habitats .....A couple years ago, I heard some weirdo on Talk of the Nation Science Friday talking about how he wanted to re-populate the continental US with animals similar to what was here pre-Native American. He was serious, and was, for example, actually wanting to release camels and elephants and such. He got *totally* ripped by the host, telling him how unreasonable this plan was. Ha Ha!

(Yes, I listen to all the cool science and tech things I can possibly find, because I am a nerd.)

 

[Flash]

Yes I did read they are 'missing a link' kherrmann but may have a substitute. I didn't finish the article while at the Dr's but it's the new National Geographic magazine for May. I'm sure if they clone these animals they will be closely watched and kept in a zoo like atmosphere.