This seems weird,like an endless supply of that favorite steak, I'll take another 200 lbs of that same steak.

"Calf Cloned from Slaughtered Cow, NewsRx.com 05/23/2002

Scientists at the University of Georgia (UGA) and ProLinia, Inc., have produced the first calf ever cloned from cells of a slaughtered cow.

The calf, delivered by cesarian section April 22, 2002, is alive and healthy today.

The breakthrough has the potential to revolutionize beef cattle production. It can allow producers to select cells from the highest quality meat, after it has been graded, to clone animals to stock their herds.

"This research has tremendous implications for the livestock industry," said Mike Wanner, president of ProLinia, Inc., an agricultural biotechnology company in Athens, Georgia.

"Genetics represent the boundary of what an animal can ultimately become," Wanner said. "Producers will be able to go into a processing plant after the meat is graded, select the best beef on the line and use those genetics to develop and improve their herd.

"In a sense," he said, "they will be able to see what kind of quality beef they can produce before they make their investment."

The process will also allow researchers to study the roles of genetics and environment in beef production. The centuries-old "nature-nurture" debate is being tested in the UGA laboratories.

"Genetics plays a critical role in the ultimate quality of the meat we eat," said Steve Stice, professor and Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar in the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. He's also the chief scientific officer at ProLinia.

"Equally important are the animal husbandry practices used, like the quality of feed provided," Stice said.

"Some traits are more heritable than others," he said. "We believe that production and meat quality traits like marbling and tenderness are readily passed on to an animal's offspring and, in this case, the animal's clone.

"This science will give us an opportunity to prove our theories," he said. "And ultimately, ranchers and meat producers will be given a tool to produce more consistent, higher-quality meat."

Genetic material for the clone was taken from the cow's kidney area, a part routinely left with the side of beef in processing, about 48 hours after the cow had been slaughtered in a local commercial facility.

The cells were processed for transport and cloned in a UGA-ProLinia lab. The ProLinia scientific team, under the direction of John Gibbons and Wash Respess, performed a similar process with cells from the intercostal region (between the ribs) and cells from the end of the front leg.

"It was important that we did not modify the processing of the beef," Wanner said. "We wanted to develop a procedure that had little or no disruption to the meat processors' routine.

"Processors don't have the luxury of modifying their practice after the beef receives a favorable grade," he said. "We needed to use cells from parts that remain with the saleable meat."

The female calf, named K.C. for "kidney cell," is an Angus-Hereford cross sometimes called a Black Baldy. This article was prepared by Genomics & Genetics Weekly editors from staff and other reports."

-- BC (desertdweller44@yahoo.com), May 25, 2002

Answers

do they think this is quicker than good breeding?

-- Stan (sopal@net-pert.com), May 25, 2002.

Well, I think y'all might be able to guess how I feel about it. B^P*

So what comes immediately to mind is, where does it stop?

What about extinct animals? I mean why not clone some. The DoDo? Who doesn't want to see more DoDos? Or we could do the Jurassic park thing, that would be cool, huh?

Human cloning. There IS a woman who will give birth to her own clone. Now think about it, there are so many implications to this...

Or lets bring back Mother Theresa, or........Hitler. Of course it really isn't the same person since experiences shape a person. Think someone may try to clone experiences for clones? Are clones really people, do they have rights?

Or what about if you have a child who is dying slowly, you could clone her and give her body parts, keep them both. Or maybe just clone her and abort the fetus before it is viable...use that.

And why even have ugliness, unintelligence, birth defects, etc. You could pick a child. Maybe they can make up some brochures. Really, no more suprises...or would there be? I could give birth to Michealangelo, do you know, was he an ugly person? I don't want an ugly child.

But why even give birth, really it's so animalistic, maybe we should grow things in the lab..yeah, birth and pregnancy are really so inconvenient.

I say, go for it! I mean we CAN do so much, why shouldn't we?

Come to think of it, I think I saw the movie.

;)

-- Patty (SycamoreHollow@aol.com), May 25, 2002.

Thank you BC for all the interesting research you share!!

We humans just have to tinker with everything, huh!

I have to admit though, when I heard about that cloned cat. . . . . well, if I knew who to call and beg, I'd have been down by the creek digging up the love of my life, MyShadow, and sending his DNA off to wherever!

And then I stop and think. It wasn't the physical or even the mental attributes of MyShadow. It was his soul, and the experiences we shared together that shaped our relationship. To me, he was the most wonderful creature to ever cross my path, and there have been many. To try and duplicate him with a test tube of DNA would be wasted time.

-- Granny Hen (cluckin along@cs.com), May 25, 2002.

Is it going to end at "Jurrassic Park" or "The Restaurant at the End of the Universe". Remember the steer genetically engineered to reccomend the best cut on his haunch and then go out back to commit suicide. :>) Isn't it amusing to be a wanderer in "The Brave New World". Modern Homesteaders,We Choose Our Paths, We Adapt, We Sustain, We Survive, We Succeed.

-- Jay Blair in N. AL (jayblair678@yahoo.com), May 25, 2002.