I'm sitting in a cafeteria next to a woman who was engrossed in her newspaper. One of the headlines blared: "12 Brazilian Soldiers Killed."
She shook her head at the sad news. Then, turning to me, she asked, "How many is a Brazilian?"
First cloned muleIn 2003, the first cloned equine, a mule foal was born at the University of Idaho, U.S., named Idaho Gem. Researchers cloned the mule using a cell from a mule fetus and an egg from a horse. Mules are almost always sterile because donkeys have 62 chromosomes, horses have 64 and mules end up with 63. Equines such as horses, donkeys and mules are difficult to reproduce in the lab using in vitro fertilization and cloning. The cloning success rate was low. Out of 307 attempts, there were 21 pregnancies and three carried to full term. Idaho Gem was the first to be born; two others followed in June and July. The project's major sponsor was a mule racing enthusiast. Unable to breed new animals from proven race stock, mule cloning is an option. |
