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Dolly the sheep, the first cloned mammal

5 July 1996 (announced 27 February 1997)·Science, technology & invention·United Kingdom·
5 July 1996 (announced 27 February 1997)Date
Science, technology & inventionCategory
2Empires active
Date
5 July 1996 (announced 27 February 1997)
Category
Science, technology & invention
Region
United Kingdom
Era
Contemporary
Significance

On 5 July 1996, scientists at the Roslin Institute near Edinburgh, Scotland, produced Dolly, the first mammal cloned from an adult somatic cell.

Using a technique called somatic-cell nuclear transfer, the team led by Ian Wilmut and Keith Campbell took the nucleus of a mammary-gland cell from an adult ewe and inserted it into an enucleated egg, which developed into a genetically identical lamb after 276 attempts. Dolly's birth was kept secret until it was announced in the journal Nature on 27 February 1997, provoking worldwide astonishment and controversy. The achievement overturned the long-held assumption that the cells of adult mammals were too specialised to generate a whole new organism, and it transformed research in developmental biology, stem cells and regenerative medicine. It also ignited intense ethical and political debate about the prospect of human cloning, prompting bans and regulatory frameworks in many countries. Dolly lived to age six and died in 2003.

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A Little History of Science

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