Texas A&M researchers cloned a litter of pigs this past week. That litter of pigs is the third species researchers at Texas A&M has cloned, along with cattle and goats.
According to scientists working on the swine cloning project, the benefits of the new technology will have several benefits.
'Our research in cloning will help increase cloning efficiency and support the development of genetically modified cloned swine for use in medicine and agriculture,' said Dr. Jorge Piedrahta, the lead researcher on the project.
The first of the three animals to be cloned was a calf in 1999. A 21-year-old steer was the parent, making his father the oldest animal to be cloned at that time.
Less than one year ago researchers at Texas A&M cloned another calf, a 10-month-old Angus named '86 Squared.' The cells used in the cloning were frozen for 15 years, the oldest cells ever frozen to be used for cloning.
Even more recently, a Boer goat named 'Second Edition' was born. The baby apparently shows many similar personalty traits as her mother, as well as looking identical.
