Notes on Dolly the Sheep and Cloning

Introduction

• Major news story: Dolly the sheep, the first living clone of an adult mammal.
• Cloning spurred debates on ethics and scientific boundaries.

Background on Dolly

• Born: July 5, 1996, at the Roslin Institute, Scotland.
• Scientists involved: Ian Wilmut, Bill Ritchie, and team.
• Cloning method: Fusion of a mammary cell from a six-year-old ewe with an unfertilized egg.
• Challenges: Over 400 attempts before a successful embryo.
• Dolly's name origin: Named after Dolly Parton due to the mammary cell source.

Public and Scientific Reaction

• Initial secrecy surrounding Dolly's birth due to its groundbreaking nature.
• Leak to the press before the official announcement created a media frenzy.
• Scientists had previously doubted the possibility of cloning mammals.

Implications of Cloning

• Ethical Questions:
  • Are humans playing God?
  • Concerns over cloning humans and potential misuse (e.g., creating armies).
• Predictions about the future: cloning could eliminate hunger but raise moral issues (e.g., cloning for spare parts).

Political Response

• President Clinton issued a directive banning federal funding for human cloning.
• Debates in Congress about the ethics of cloning and stem cell research.
• Stem cells controversy: Derived from discarded embryos at fertility clinics.

Dolly's Death and Legacy

• Dolly died in February 2003 from progressive lung disease, raising concerns about cloned animals' health.
• Critics had warned of premature aging in clones but post-mortem indicated her health issues were unrelated to cloning.
• Dolly's influence on public perception of cloning and its potential.

Advances in Cloning and Stem Cell Research

• Cloning has not advanced as quickly as anticipated; only a few thousand cloned animals exist today.
• In 2013, researchers successfully created stem cells from a cloned human embryo using Dolly's method.
• Major breakthrough by Shinya Yamanaka (2006): Turned adult cells into stem cells without embryos.
• Yamanaka's method recognized for solving ethical issues surrounding cloning.

Current State of Research

• Stem cell therapy is still developing; both Yamanaka's and Dolly's methods are under study.
• Ian Wilmut has shifted to using Yamanaka's technique for research on diseases like Lou Gehrig's.
• Future potential: Treating degenerative diseases through advanced stem cell research.

Conclusion

• Legacy of Dolly the sheep: Increased awareness and debate on cloning and stem cell research.
• Dolly is displayed at the National Museum of Scotland, symbolizing the blend of science fiction and reality.