Cloning

The last known mammoth lived around 4500 years ago, but if scientists in Japan are successful then we might be able to meet one soon! Research to resurrect these awesome creatures was shelved when cell nuclei taken from a sample from Siberia were found to be too badly damaged, however a scientific breakthrough in Kobe successfully cloned a mouse from 16 year old deep frozen tissue, and the research began again in earnest... Read More

The cloning of human viruses may sound like the stuff of biological warfare, but breakthroughs in the area are helping in the development of antivirals and vaccines for life-threatening diseases. Now Welsh scientists have made the first complete copy of the virus Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) – a common infectious disease that is responsible for congenital malformations and potentially deadly to transplant patients or HIV/AIDS carriers. Read More

Gizmag recently took part in a virtual round table with futurist Dr James Canton and prosthetics expert Randall Alley to look at the role robots - particularly surrogate robots - will play in mankind’s future. The fascinating discussion ranged from the technology itself through to security issues and ethics surrounding the implementation of surrogate robots in our future societies. So when will you be able to send your robotic surrogate-self to the shop for a loaf of bread while you relax in front of the TV? Read More

Aleratec has released its new portable hard disk drive duplicator, the HDD Copy Cruiser Mini. Designed for the budget-conscious consumer, the Copy Cruiser Mini offers 1-to-1 copying of 2.5-inch and 3.5-inch SATA I and II hard disk drives. Aleratec says the device is aimed at consumers who want copy their HDDs for backup or when they move to a new computer, but who don’t need the bulk and high price of an industrial model. The Copy Cruiser Mini can also be used for external storage or data backup by connecting it to a computer using its USB port. Read More

Chinese researchers have become the world's fifth most prolific contributors to peer-reviewed scientific literature on clock-reversing regenerative medicine even as a skeptical international research community condemns the practice of Chinese clinics administering unproven stem cell therapies to domestic and foreign patients. According to a study by the Canadian-based McLaughlin-Rotman Centre for Global Health (MRC), published this week by the UK journal Regenerative Medicine, China's government is pouring dollars generously into regenerative medicine (RM) research and aggressively recruiting high-caliber scientists trained abroad in pursuit of its ambition to become a world leader in the field. Read More

It’s official – the first commercially cloned dog, a 10-week old Labrador pup named Lancey (main pic), was delivered by BioArts International on January 26 to Florida residents Edgar and Nina Otto. With a bid of US$155,000, the Ottos were the highest bidder in an auction held last July to be the first to clone their family dog. Lancey’s genetic donor, Sir Lancelot, died in January, 2008, and the Ottos had his DNA stored. Samples of the DNA were sent to the Sooam Biotech Research Foundation in South Korea in October, and Lancey was born on November 18, and flown to the U.S. on January 25. Read More

If the thought of parting with your four-legged friend is too much to bear then perhaps BioArts International could save you some heartache with its “Best Friends Again” dog cloning program. The US-based biotech company says it will offer five dog cloning service slots to the general public via a worldwide, online auction on 18 June. Read More

December 31, 2006 The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued three documents on the safety of animal cloning -- a draft risk assessment; a proposed risk management plan; and a draft guidance for industry. The draft risk assessment finds that meat and milk from clones of adult cattle, pigs and goats, and their offspring, are as safe to eat as food from conventionally bred animals. Read More

June 10, 2005 Czech scientists have made significant new breakthroughs in stem cell research. Dr. Petr Dvorak, scientist with the Institute of Experimental Medicine at the Czech Academy of Sciences, says his research suggests embryonic stem cells maintained in a universal or 'totipotent' status can, under certain conditions, be used to develop any type of cells in the human body, a key component to realising the full potential of stem cell therapies. The Institute has also seen several other stem cell research breakthroughs, most notably developing a procedure that uses stem cells to repair the brain and spinal cord employing nanotechnologies as a labeling-and-delivery mechanism. Read More