A team of scientists at Texas A&M University cloned a domestic cat named CC in 2001. (short for copycat). Today, more than two decades later, CC has once again made history by giving birth to healthy kittens as the first cloned cat to do so.
Somatic cell nuclear transfer was used to make CC. This is when the nucleus of an egg cell is taken out and replaced with the nucleus of a somatic cell, which is a cell that doesn’t make eggs or sperm. The embryo that results is put into a surrogate mother, who carries the pregnancy to term.
The birth of CC’s kittens is a big step forward for cloning because it shows that cloned animals can reproduce normally and have healthy offspring. This has implications for protecting endangered species and for biomedicine, where cloned animals can be used to study human diseases.
Despite the fact that the birth of CC’s kittens is an exciting achievement, it also raises ethical concerns regarding the usage of cloning technology. Some detractors say that cloning is an accidental type of genetic modification that could lead to the production of “designer” animals or perhaps people.
Even with these concerns, the birth of CC’s kittens is a huge step forward in the field of cloning, and it will definitely lead to more research into the possible uses and effects of this technology.