Calf Cloned From Piece of Meat, Scientists Say
Scientists at the University of Georgia report that they have cloned a calf from a piece of meat. En route to the supermarket, the side of fresh beef was sampled for cells from the kidney area, and the cells supplied genes from which a calf was cloned. It was born April 22 at the university in Athens.
The cloners--biologist Steve Stice and colleagues at the university and at a biotechnology company, ProLinia Inc.--touted the value of cloning for the meat industry. After much more research and pending government approval, it one day may enable them to identify, and then re-create, animals to supply the best meats.
Critics said using fresh meat as the source of genetic material is no different from using a biopsied sample from a live animal.
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