First Successfully Cloned Wolves

The birth of the first successful cloned wolves was announced on Monday. The wolves, though born over a year ago, were finally acknowledged to be cloned.

The group that cloned the wolves, led by Hwang Woo-Suk, who is currently facing a trail for disobeying South Korean bioethical regulations, also cloned the first dog two years ago.

The reason that it took so long for the group to release information on the successful wolf cloning was that they wanted to make sure they had tested their data. Due to previous issues with fraudulent findings, they could not afford to make another mistake. Several DNA tests are needed to prove that a cloned organism is truly a clone.

The cloning of the wolves is not only important to the scientific world but to the environment too. They type of wolf cloned has been nearly extinct in South Korea for over two decades. There are only a few that are known to actually be living in the country. Many think that this successful cloning came just in time to possibly save the species in that area. The question remains though if enough animals could be produced quickly enough to effect low population numbers.

The technology needed to do the cloning successfully was very complex. Many embryos, 251 to be exact, were needed from 12 different mothers to clone the wolves. It has been said that dog species are the hardest animals to clone effectively.

Hwang is involved in a trial with charges of fraud that come from a report that him and his research group published in 2005. He is also facing charges of embezzlement.

There is a great amount of debate surrounding the issue of cloning and stem cell research. The current President of the United States, George W. Bush, is strongly apposed to cloning and shares the same point of view as many Christian and other religious groups. Certain types of cloning are legal in the United States and opinion on the issue is split very closely.

The cloning of these wolves is clearly a large step in the technology of cloning and stem cell research.

Cited:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17796859/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_cloning