Cloning is a concept that’s probably been on the mind of many scientists decades ago, and back in 1996, scientists achieved a breakthrough in which they successfully cloned their first mammal in the form of Dolly the sheep. Naturally some questions were raised regarding cloning, such as is it safe, and will clones die earlier than their un-cloned counterparts?
This fear was brought on by the fact that Dolly lived for about 6.5 years despite having a life expectancy of 11-12 years, and this was due to progressive lung disease and severe arthritis. However it seems that we might have nothing to worry about because a University of Nottingham study found that Dolly’s genomic clones – Daisy, Debbie, Denise, and Dianna – are healthy with no signs of premature aging.
Before you get too excited about a world filled with cloned humans, a report from the New York Times has pointed out that it seems more of an anomaly that clones can live healthily for so long, as very few cloned embryos actually make it to adulthood, with many even failing before they are born. This means that the cloning process isn’t necessarily perfect just yet.
Let’s not forget that there are also ethical issues with regards to cloning, with some arguing that we as humans are trying to play god, but we suppose that’s a debate for another day.
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