Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer
A sophisticated cloning technique that involves transferring the nucleus of a somatic cell—any body cell except reproductive ones—into an egg cell that has had its nucleus removed, thereby creating an embryo with the donor's genetic material. This method is widely used in scientific research for producing genetically identical animals and deriving stem cells, but it sparks ongoing ethical debates about its potential in human reproduction and genetic modification.
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The first successful somatic cell nuclear transfer produced Dolly the sheep in 1996, marking the first time a mammal was cloned from an adult somatic cell and challenging the long-held belief that adult cells were irreversibly differentiated. This single experiment has inspired over 1,000 scientific papers on cloning and led to the cloning of more than 20 animal species, including endangered ones, potentially paving the way for conservation efforts.
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