China restored the population of rare animals in Tibet with the help of modern cloning technology

On Jan 30, 2024 20:12 50

Scientists in China have cloned endangered Tibetan cows for the first time, the government of the Tibetan Autonomous Region reports, China Daily notes. This was achieved by transferring somatic cell nuclei.

We are talking about two types of cows that live in the highlands of Tibet. Yu Dawei, a researcher at the Research Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, said that the specialists collected animal ear tissue and then created a line of fibroblasts in the laboratory. Later, they managed to obtain clone embryos using somatic cell nuclear transfer technology.

“The cloned embryos were transplanted into surrogate cows, and after a full pregnancy, we got eight cloned cows,” Yu Dawei said.

He added that in the future, scientists intend to combine cloning technologies with traditional livestock breeding mechanisms. This will allow us to form a perfect genetic system and improve the systems of protection and use of resources.

Earlier in China, a horse named Zhuang Zhuang was cloned. The horse is now seven months old, and it is possible that he will take part in the 2028 Olympics. At that time, it will be age-appropriate for admission. The clone was created from the cells of the sports stallion Ursus, who has won many awards over the years. The cloning company assures us that the characteristics of the clone are the same as those of the original. However, he still needs training.

Source Glavkom