What’s horned, fluffy, and ethically dubious? Yak clones
Researchers have produced domestic yak clones and more than 200 wild yak embryos as they seek faster growth and conservation gains.
- Zhejiang University researchers are cloning Tibetan yaks in labs more than 4,000 meters above sea level to create an "elite" herd with superior fertility and growth traits for the region's economy.
- Fang Shengguo, scientific lead at the State Conservation Center for Gene Resources of Endangered Wildlife, noted natural yak fertility rates dropped to 20% over the past decade, threatening agricultural viability.
- Researchers have produced 11 successful clones, including ten born through "all natural births," and now aim to create a herd of more than 100 elite clones by 2028.
- Lisa Moses, a veterinarian and bioethicist at Harvard Medical School, emphasized ethical concerns remain unresolved, citing unknown rates of miscarriages or failed births before the 11 successful clones were produced.
- Scientists also aim to conserve the endangered golden wild yak, a subspecies with about 300 individuals left, though experts like Julian Savulescu of the National University of Singapore debate if cloning is the right solution.
13 Articles
13 Articles
On the high-altitude plains of Tibet, surrounded by snow-capped mountains and battered by relentless winds, scientists are working tirelessly to create fluffy, horned clones of Tibetan yaks. These are engineered and cloned in airtight laboratories more than 4,000 meters above sea level, where researchers hope to create an elite herd of super-yaks, healthier and more fertile than their predecessors. This project, scientists hope, could even poten…
One of the world's largest turs, the yak, plays a key role in Tibet's ecosystems, economy and transport. But due to the changes of the modern world, it is not enough to adapt. Chinese scientists have decided to help it with a large-scale cloning program.
In China, a scientific project that consists of cloned dozens of yacks has emerged on the high plateaus of Tibet. The aim is to create an "elite troupe". An experience not like the others. At an altitude of more than 4,000 meters, in the Tibet region, in the south of China, scientists have cloned dozens of yacks with a healthier and more fertile profile than their predecessors. One of the main stakes of this scientific project is to allow this w…
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SlashdotChina is Creating a Herd of 100 Elite Yak Clones
CNN reports on yaks "designed and cloned" in secretive, high-altitude labs in Tibet - 2.4 miles (4,000 meters) above sea level. They're a critical part of the local economy, and researchers "hope to create an 'elite' herd of super-yaks, healthier and more fertile than their predecessors." Both domestic yaks and their wild cousins have been facing threats for years, with some rare subspecies at risk of disappearing entirely. Authorities in the so…
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