Dolly the sheep (named after Dolly Parton the singer) was the first genetically cloned sheep. In 1996, Dolly was created by Scottish scientists at the Roslin Institute in Edinburgh. She was the first mammal to be successfully cloned from an adult cell (1). Since then scientists have been able to clone 10 other mammals; cows, goats, pigs, rats, mice, rabbits, cats, dogs, horses and mules (2). In 2003 Dolly was out down for lung disease at the age of six. In 2002 she was diagnosed with arthritis, a common disease for elderly sheep (3). The worries now lie with the people. Concerns about Dolly's age and the question of health is a major concern. Scientists claim it is not clear whether the cloning process is to blame for her arthritis, but since Dolly was cloned from an adult cell and not an embryo she may be susceptible for premature aging (3).
1. "BBC ON THIS DAY | 22 | 1997: Dolly the sheep is cloned." BBC NEWS | News Front Page. 19 May 2009
2. "Dolly was world's hello to cloning's possibilities - USATODAY.com." News, Travel, Weather, Entertainment, Sports, Technology, U.S. & World - USATODAY.com. 19 May 2009
3. "CNN.com - First cloned sheep Dolly dies at 6 - Feb. 14, 2003." CNN.com - Breaking News, U.S., World, Weather, Entertainment & Video News. 19 May 2009
