NYT: South Korean Scientists Clone Man's Best Friend, a First

[DeepModem Mom]

South Korean Scientists Clone Man's Best Friend, a First
By GINA KOLATA
Published: August 3, 2005


Ahn Young-Joon/Associated Press
Scientists named the 67-day old dog Snuppy, for Seoul National University puppy.


In a tour de force, a team of South Korean researchers reports it has cloned what scientists deem the most difficult animal of all - the dog....

***

Lee Beyong Chun, the first author of the dog cloning paper, published today in Nature, says he and his colleagues began the process on Aug. 2, 2002, supported by a grant from the South Korean government. Working nonstop and using 1,095 dog eggs, they finally ended up with a baby Afghan hound that is a clone of an adult male Afghan.

The puppy, an identical twin of the adult Afghan but born years later, was delivered by caesarian section on April 24 from a yellow Labrador surrogate mother. The pregnancy lasted a normal 60 days and the baby dog weighed a normal 550 grams, or one pound and 3.4 ounces....

***

Snuppy is the second coup this year for the Seoul researchers. In May, the lab, led by Hwang Woo Suk, announced it had created cloned human embryos and extracted stem cells from them. The dog project was separate, and its goal, Dr. Hwang explained in an e-mail message, was to use dogs to study the causes and treatment of human diseases.

Dogs get many of the same diseases as people and have long been used to study human diseases. Rabies, in fact, was first discovered in dogs, as was insulin - and the first open-heart surgery was on dogs. Eventually, the team hopes to make dog embryonic stem cells and test them as treatments in the animals. But the group has no intention of cloning pets, Dr. Lee said....


http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/03/science/03cnd-clone.html?hp&ex=1123128000&en=6920963aab4f84fd&ei=5094&partner=homepage

[WillyT]

1. Frist Is NOT Man's Best Friend !!!

:hi::rofl::hi:

[slackmaster]

2. (insert tasteless joke about Korean cuisine here)

:D

[DBoon]

3. Koreans love dogs!

they are excellent with kimchi and beer.

[raifield]

4. Stunning differences...

In South Korea, scientists are extracting stem cells, cloning animals and embryos...meanwhile, here in America, we're still arguing about evolution while our President recommends we all learn about how Gawd created us in six days.

Sigh.

[slackmaster]

7. Spot on

The kooks are running the show over here.

:argh:

[DBoon]

9. Someday, wealthy Americans will go to Korea for medical treatment

because the quality of what they will get will be better than what the US will have to offer.

[Kraklen]

5. Dogs have been cloned before.

I'm sure I remember a story about a man having his pet dog cloned for a very large sum of money a couple of years ago.


Maybe I'm going nuts.

[Gloria]

6. I heard an interview with one of the researches today and he sounded

like an expat American to me....(on BBC).

[Olney Blue]

10. If the U.S. doesn't get serious about science,

there is going to be a major brain drain to enlightened countries like S. Korea.
It's already happening within the U.S. (Maryland scientists bolting to California to work on stem cells).

[flvegan]

8. Hoo-rah! They're cloning animals to use as test subjects!

Eh, nothing really new, I guess. It'll keep the test subjects predictable for strings of tests. Let the scalding, bone breaking and induction of various detestable diseases and conditions commence!

Yay!!

:sarcasm:

[WilmywoodNCparalegal]

11. I don't know about ya'll but

I'd be tempted to get my babies cloned once they pass away. It's very tempting.

[VegasWolf]

12. Wha??? Tony Blair has been cloned? nt

[jarab]

13. kick.

...O...

[nolabels]

14. Cloned dog raises fears

Snuppy is seen with his parents, an Afghan hound "dad" and Labrador "mother". (AP)

Cloned dog raises fears
04/08/2005 15:10 - (SA)

Seoul - The world's first cloning of a dog has raised concerns that scientists are one step closer to replicating human embryos.

A group of scientists from Seoul National University on Wednesday unveiled their furry creation, a black and white Afghan hound named Snuppy that is genetically identical to its three-year-old "father".

But while geneticists hailed the breakthough as a step towards beating human diseases that have so far eluded medical science, others called for a worldwide ban on human cloning, saying that the pup had brought that eventuality nearer.

The achievement of the team led by Professor Hwang Woo-Suk is considered so significant because many canine diseases such as diabetes, cancer, dementia and problems in heart muscles, hips and joints are similar to those in humans.
(snip)
http://www.news24.com/News24/Technology/News/0,,2-13-1443_1748958,00.html

http://photos1.blogger.com/img/144/1547/640/bush+dog.jpg
http://benevis-dige.blogspot.com/2005_01_01_benevis-dige_archive.html

[pinotnoir]

15. yikes....

if they can do this to dogs... how long before they try to clone "the shrub" ;0)

[DeepModem Mom]

22. Yikes, indeed, pinotnoir -- welcome to DU!

[Barrett808]

16. "I can get you your replica within a year."

"Bring me human eggs, the necessary social consensus and legal permission and I can get you your replica within a year," said Park Se-Pill, a senior researcher of Maria Biotech and a top cloning expert.

[nolabels]

19. For some ethics go out the window after money is applied

I am also guessing that there might be a few billionaires out there with that narcissist bent who could be intrigued by this.

This seems just another reason to have the debate instead of the top down dictates of these freaking "Right-to-Lifers".

[phantom power]

17. Cue the wailing and gnashing of teeth...

Wait, let's skip all that. Human cloning is going to happen. The solution to all the supposedly horrific abuses is easy: make them illegal. Regulate the industry, just like we regulate every other industry.

[PunkPop]

18. Why? Does he bite?

nt

[54anickel]

20. Didn't yesterday's article state they did clone a human embryo?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=1674614

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/03/science/03cnd-clone.html?pagewanted=1&ei=5094&en=6920963aab4f84fd&hp&ex=1123128000&partner=homepage

snip>

Snuppy is the second coup this year for the Seoul researchers. In May, the lab, led by Hwang Woo Suk, announced it had created cloned human embryos and extracted stem cells from them. The dog project was separate, and its goal, Dr. Hwang explained in an e-mail message, was to use dogs to study the causes and treatment of human diseases.

[nolabels]

21. I don't know if pets hold the same weight morally over there in Asia

Like it's a different culture and everything

IN THE NEWS

The Straits Times, Singapore
June 30, 2002

Dog meat hot among Korea and China's trendy young
by Ng Hui Hui

Canine cuisine is becoming a fad among the young in South Korea and China, much to the dismay of animal-rights activists.

Restaurant owners and dog-meat watchers confirm that youngsters are now taking dog meat as part of their regular diet - much like beef or chicken - as food joints dish out trendy new recipes to whet appetites.

According to one estimate, 92 per cent of men and 68 per cent of women above 20 in South Korea have tasted dog meat recently.

In China, dog breeders are saying that in a few years, there will be as many Saint Bernard dogs on the mainland as cows and sheep.

Although past data on dog-meat consumption is not available, those concerned say the numbers would have been low earlier - since dog meat was considered a type of tonic for the older generation, eaten to increase libido and treat illnesses.

Catering to the fad, on sale now are hotdogs with real dog meat, dog cookies and sandwiches and even dog noodles as restaurants come up with fast-food variations.

Traditional recipes such as kimchi, a spicy fermented vegetable dish, are being given a make- over and are now prepared with dog meat extracts.

Dog meat chefs hope to add more varieties soon
(snip)
http://www.acres.org.sg/inNews/newsdog1_300602.htm