A Dose of Inspiration: 04/16/09

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Scientists said the breakthrough might provide a means of preserving the genetics of elite racing and milk-producing camels.

Scientists in Dubai say they have created the world's first cloned camel.

Injaz, a female one-humped camel, was born on 8 April, after more than five years of work, United Arab Emirates newspapers reported.

Scientists say DNA taken from a cell in the ovary of an adult camel was put into an egg from a surrogate mother.

Injaz, which means "achievement" in Arabic, was born after an "uncomplicated" 378-day gestation period, reports said.

"This significant breakthrough gives a means of preserving the valuable genetics of our elite racing and milk producing camels in the future," Dr Lulu Skidmore of the Camel Reproduction Centre told Gulf News newspaper.

The baby camel, weighing 30kg, has been confirmed as being genetically identical to the camel the cells were taken from, the paper reported.

That camel was killed for its meat in 2005, another newspaper, the National, said.

Thirteen years ago, the world's first mammal to be cloned using DNA from an adult cell, Dolly the Sheep, was born in Edinburgh.

But in 2003, she was diagnosed with lung disease and put down.

Since then, scientists around the world have created cloned mice, cows, pigs and dogs.